The Philippines' National Transmission Corp. (TransCo) is contemplating whether it will shoulder the cost of building the long-delayed Visayas-Mindanao grid connection to unburden consumers, TransCo president and CEO Melvin Matibag said.
According to a report from The Philippine Star, the state-run company is studying whether government could pay for the P52-billion cost of the interconnection project. Instead of having the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) shoulder the project cost and eventually recover the cost of the transmission projects from its consumers, TransCo may take it on.
One of the options TransCo is looking at is including the Visayas-Mindanao grid interconnection under its General Appropriations Act, which is basically the Philippines' national budget.
NGCP recently announced it has completed the hydrographic survey determining the viable location for the Visayas-Mindanao grid interconnection along the country’s western seaboard – beginning in Cebu and terminating in Dipolog. Barring unforeseen circumstances and unavoidable delays, the project is estimated to be completed by December 2020, the grid operator said.
NGCP is seeking the support of the public and its stakeholders for the full and immediate implementation of the project. “NGCP assures its stakeholders of the company’s dedication to determine the most reliable and cost-efficient path to completion. This is a large undertaking. We want this facility to be state-of-the-art, as well as sturdy enough to last generations. We are considering many factors in the design and implementation of the project, including changing weather conditions. Ensuring the quality and reliability of power transmission services to both Visayas and Mindanao customers is of paramount importance,” the company said.
