NGCP: Leyte-Bohol’s backup transmission system 49% done

ORMOC CITY, Philippines – The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), operator of the country’s electric transmission backbone, announced to media this week that its P509.36-million backup transmission system, spanning 113.97 kilometers from Ormoc City to Maasin in Southern Leyte is now 49 percent complete.

Elmer Cruz, NGCP-Visayas corporate communications and public affairs officer, said the project will be completed on the first quarter of 2014. He said the transmission line would reinforce the existing 138kV lines from Ormoc to Maasin, which then crosses to Bohol island.

The system would provide a backup to the old one, in case of a major systems breakdown, to ensure that power is continuous and uninterrupted. Right now, if there is a major outage in the Ormoc to Maasin line, Bohol also suffers, he said.

Another component of the project is the upgrade of power circuit breakers and installation of corresponding accessories at Ormoc and Maasin substations.

The substation here receives the power produced by the Leyte Geothermal Fields which is the dominant source of electricity of Samar and Bohol provinces.

NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza added in a statement: “Improvement of the Visayas grid is critical to the continuity of our power service delivery. For us to be able to fully dispatch the available supply and meet the growing demands of the Visayas, we need to invest in strengthening our line and reinforcing our Ormoc-Maasin 138-kV line is one step towards that.” (FREEMAN)