MANILAhot646, Philippines — Several milestones marked NGCP’s achievements in 2024, following the completion of four major grid projects that have significantly bolstered the reliability of the country’s grid infrastructure.
In January, NGCP inaugurated the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), the Cebu-Negros-Panay 230-kiloVolt backbone in April, and the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500-kV Line in July.
Capping its fruitful year, NGCP also fully completed the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project last September. The CBIP plays a crucial role in improving transmission services and grid stability in Central Visayas and helps develop the transmission highway in Cebu, the load center of Visayas, through a new line that will transmit power in and out of the province.
"These 'ashing' events were observed at 6:41 a.m., 7:01 a.m. and 8:01 a.m. and lasted two to six minutes based on visual observations; no detectable seismic or infrasound signals of these events were recorded," Phivolcs said. "The events generated light-gray plumes that rose 500 meters above the crater before drifting southwest," it added. Traces of ash have been reported in Barangays Yubo and Ara-al in La Carlota City, as well as Barangay Sag-ang in La Castellana, while residents in Barangay Yubo also experienced sulfurous fumes. Cloud cover obstructed visual observation of the summit for the rest of the morning. Volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from Kanlaon’s crater averaged 2,769 tons per day as of Friday. SO2 emissions have surged since the June 3, 2024 eruption, now averaging 4,133 tons per day. "Volcanic ash in the degassing plume signifies open vent conditions in which volcanic gas can carry fine debris from fractured rock or even from the margins of shallow magma beneath the edifice," Phivolcs said. Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 2, which signifies increasing unrest. Residents are advised to stay away from the four-kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone due to potential hazards like pyroclastic flows and rockfalls. Ashfall precautions, including wearing masks, are advised for affected areas.
“These achievements reflect NGCP’s strong commitment to advancing our grid infrastructure to ensure a more stable and resilient power supply for households, businesses and industries,” NGCP said.
Aside from the completion of big-ticket projects, NGCP provided better service at a lower cost, charging only P0.55 centavos per kWh, compared to P0.74 under TransCo. The amount is equivalent to just 3.39 percent of the electricity bill, while generation and distribution charges make up its bulk with 53.17 percent and 21.81 percent, respectively.
Since NGCP took over the transmission operations from TransCo in 2009, outages went down by 82 percent, reflecting the significant improvement in the efficiency and reliability of the country’s grid under its watch.
Amid the successful year, NGCP is not resting on its laurels as it intends to complete more projects in the coming years, including the New Antipolo 230-kV substation in Rizal, Laguindingan 230-kV substation in Misamis Oriental and substation upgrading, voltage improvement and reliability projects in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
24 7 slotsOther projects scheduled for completion, barring any further right-of-way, permitting and other external delays, include the Tuguegarao-Lal-lo (Magapit) 230-kV transmission line, Ambuklao-Binga-San Manuel 230-kV line, Western Luzon 500-kV backbone Stage 2, Marilao Extra High Voltage substation, Tuy 500/230-kV project Stage 1, Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138-kV line, Cebu-Lapu Lapu 230-kV transmission line, Lapu Lapu 230-kV substation project, Tacurong- Kalamansig 69-kV transmission line project and other upgrading projects.
“Despite challenges being encountered in right-of-way acquisition and permittinghot646, with the support of relevant government agencies, we are optimistic that we are on track to finish these projects in the pipeline,” NGCP said.