ORMOC CITY, Leyte, Sept. 7 (PNA) -– The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has dropped the Leyte-Mindanao Interconnection Project (LMIP), citing difficulties in the installation of submarine cables.
Christian B. Ereno, planning division head of NGCP’s Visayas Transmission System told journalists that the recent survey has unfolded many hazards in the establishment of deep trench connection.
One of the hazards mentioned by Ereno is that the sea crossing Southern Leyte and Surigao where the cables will traverse are replete with live ordnance and torpedoes from the Battle of Surigao during World War II.
The existence of undersea volcanoes and two fault lines also make the route more difficult.
The LMIP was first proposed during the mid-‘90s under the Ramos administration to link Mindanao to the national grid. Decades later, the project has not taken off due to perils that pose constraints, chief of which is the unstable environment in laying the submarine cables.
Moreover, the seabed has hardened, which will pose difficulty in burying the transmission lines.
“We still see the need for the interconnection but the best thing to do is to explore other routes,” Ereno said.
He informed that two other routes will be evaluated: Bohol-Dipolog and Cebu-Dipolog. Feasibility studies will be undertaken on these alternative routes.
The NGCP is optimistic to get positive feedback for the two alternative routes that will connect Mindanao to the Visayas after their first feasibility study for Leyte-Mindanao interconnection failed.
“There is really a need for interconnection. We are proposing for a survey on the western side so that we will know what it is like in the ocean floor. We hope that this will not get a perfect score on hazard,” said Ereno.
The transmission firm has invested PHP91 million for the feasibility study of Leyte-Mindanao connection. The NGCP is still finalizing the cost estimate for the western route survey.
“We have to apply to ERC first, once we get the approval then that’s the time that we can do the survey again,” he added.
The NGCP hopes to complete the survey in order to implement the interconnection project, which will answer power demands through power sharing among grids.
This is also designed to curb power shortage in Mindanao provinces. The official is still unsure of the timeline for the new survey.
At present, only Luzon and Visayas Grid are interconnected that allowed the two islands to share their surplus energy and sell power through Wholesale Electricity Spot Market. (PNA)