NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has energized the P10.2-billion Hermosa-San Jose 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that is expected to boost power generation in Bataan.
“Despite many challenges, our teams worked 24/7 to complete this facility. With the energization of the line comes the improved transmission from generation sources towards the load center Metro Manila and nearby provinces,” NGCP said in a statement on Sunday.
It described the project, which was energized at 7:22 a.m. on May 27, as a major component in its planned 500-kV transmission backbone in Luzon.
The Hermosa-San Jose transmission project, which spans the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan, is expected to strengthen services and accommodate fresh bulk of power in Bataan. It was certified as an energy project of national significance in 2019 making it eligible under Executive Order 30 for speedy permits and reviews by local and national government agencies.
The grid operator said that even though the project was provisionally approved with a P10.2-billion cost, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has only allowed the recovery of about P19 million of the actual project cost.
“Our priority has and will always be doing what is best for the public. Financial considerations can take a back seat and be threshed out later,” said Henry T. Sy, Jr., a major stockholder of the company and its former president and chief executive officer.
“We hope to correct the impression that the consumers are somehow shortchanged with how rates are computed. Our commitment has never wavered: we serve the public, and we work within the legal and regulatory framework of our concession and franchise,” he added.
BusinessWorld sought comment from the ERC but has yet to receive a reply as of press time.
NGCP has also committed to finishing its other transmission projects in the Visayas and Mindanao regions in the coming months.
“Our stakeholders can be assured that we will continue our grid improvement, expansion, and reinforcement initiatives to deliver quality and reliable transmission services,” it added. — Ashley Erika O. Jose
