MANILA, (PNA) — For the often typhoon-stricken province of Samar, a steady supply of electricity is important to ensure the island’s continuous growth and recovery from disasters.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines addresses this need by constructing a second circuit of the Ormoc-Babatngon 130-kilovolt (kV) transmission line. Although located in Leyte, the overhead transmission line is the sole corridor which directs the power supply from the generators in Leyte to Samar.
Like Bohol island, Samar is heavily dependent on the power generated from the Leyte Geothermal Fields received through the Ormoc Substation. An unplanned outage in the existing Ormoc-Babatangon 138-kV line connected to the Ormoc Substation will result in blackout in Samar Island.
NGCP confirms the importance of the project. “Samar Island relies on this line to meet the power demands of the province as it has no existing internal generator. NGCP will add a second circuit to the Ormoc-Babatngon line to ensure that all available power supply from Leyte will be transmitted smoothly to Samar,” said Atty. Cynthia D. Perez-Alabanza, NGCP Spokesperson.
The grid operator also sees the project to address the future demand growth of Tacloban City which is served by local electric cooperative LEYECO II.
The project involves the construction of 78.54 kilometers of overhead transmission line and installation of necessary upgrade equipment at the Ormoc and Babatngon Substations. Expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2014, the project has an ERC approved cost of Php 697.62 million.
NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations, and related assets.
NGCP’s regular maintenance activities and rehabilitation projects aim to enhance the reliability and quality of electricity delivered to grid-connected customers like generators, distributors, and large industries.