Visayas, Mindanao regions to share power grid by 2020

CEBU, Philippines — Visayas and Mindanao will soon share power needs once the grid interconnection of the two island regions is completed by 2020.

Christian Ereno, Visayas system planning head at the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, said yesterday at a forum in Cebu City the project is already in the works.

NGCP has begun construction of the P52-billion power grid interconnection project seen to strengthen the country’s transmission network.

The Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), which will link Mindanao to the already connected Luzon-Visayas Grid, is targeted for completion in December 2020.

“This is the largest transmission undertaking in the country’s history. The benefits to the public will come not just when the facility is energized and begins to facilitate power exchange across the three main island groups, but will begin encouraging economic activity in remote areas as soon as construction begins this year,” the grid operator had said in June.

Submarine cables spanning 184 circuit-kilometers and 526 circuit-kilometers of overhead lines link the Visayas and Mindanao grids as designed in the MVIP.

The project construction will run in parts of Cebu in Visayas and in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Lanao del Norte in Mindanao, creating job opportunities in those areas.

Currently, only Luzon and Visayas are interconnected while Mindanao is isolated. Interconnection between Luzon and Visayas allows both grids to get supply from each other during supply shortfall.

It was last year when NGCP was given the go-signal by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to proceed with the interconnection project.

NGCP is a privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid.

The project involves the interconnection of Visayas and Mindanao via Cebu and Zamboanga. Converter stations in Visayas and Mindanao will be located in Sibonga, Cebu and Aurora, Zamboanga del Sur, respectively. (FREEMAN)