Power backbone eyed to boost Bohol's power requirement

CORELLA, BOHOL, Philippines — The electric power requirement of Bohol in few years will be enhanced and augmented with the groundbreaking of the P1-billion Bohol Backbone Transmission Project (BBTP) the other day in barangay Sambog of this interior town by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP).

"We commence this project with the intention of constructing the new Corella Substation and upgrading the Ubay Substation together with the installation of 95 kilometers of 138 kilovolt transmission lines connecting the two substations," said Henry Sy Jr., NGCP president and CEO, in a message read by his representative Guillermo Redoblado, NGCP senior technical adviser of the project.

The substation is expected to provide reliable power transmission services to some 60 barangays in nine towns: Balilihan, Carmen, Catigbian, Cortes, Dagohoy, San Miguel, Ubay and this town.

It is also expected to "accommodate load growth in the area, improve voltage in Bohol in compliance with Grid Code and enhance overall system reliability, power quality and operational flexibility of NGCP," said Sy.

Corella Mayor Jose Nicanor Tocmo said the substation will be located in a 6-hectare property bought at about P197 per square meter.

Once the substation is operational early next year, it can help the booming industry in Bohol and this town which aims to develop a tourist attraction aside from it being the host of more a hundred hectares of natural sanctuary for the smallest primate, the tarsier, said Tocmo.

Governor Edgar Chatto said it is the only way to bring in "reliable and dependable power supply" to the province as the power requirement is wanting in the next few years as a result of the industries and booming tourism industry here.

Right now, the province of Bohol is being supplied by a combined power generation of some 63 MW from geothermal source in Tongonan, Leyte, hydro plants in Sevilla, Hanopol and Sta. Clara in Loboc town, and the Dampas Diesel Power plant in Tagbilaran City.

The geothermal source supplies about 55 MW while the hydro plants provide a total of about 8.5 MW, said the NGCP.

As projected by NGCP, the power demand in Bohol is expected to increase by about four MW and some 93 MW in the year 2020.

"The project will not only benefit Bohol but also the whole Visayas in the long run. This will reinforce the high-voltage transmission backbone and ensure that the power grid remains secure and reliable," said Sy in his message. - THE FREEMAN