The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has successfully completed and energized the temporary towers to bring in power from Leyte to Bohol province. (Leo Udtohan/Inquirer Visayas)
TAGBILARAN CITY — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) restored the Bohol-Leyte power link Wednesday, Feb. 9, six days ahead of schedule.
In a statement, NGCP said it had energized the special towers of the Ubay-President Carlos P. Garcia 138 kV Line toppled by Typhoon Odette.
“NGCP works hard 24/7 in the erection of the temporary towers to energize the province,” said Betty Martinez, NGCP spokesperson.
The six 200-foot towers, the tallest transmission towers in the country, under the Emergency Restoration System (ERS), were erected so that NGCP could bring in the Leyte power to Bohol.
Through its ERS, a temporary bypass line was constructed to restore the interconnection of Bohol to Leyte.
Bohol gets about 60% of its energy requirements from suppliers in the Visayas grid through its interconnection to Leyte.
NGCP said the permanent restoration of these towers was ongoing using a new tower design with a higher wind rating to increase its ability to withstand stronger typhoons. These new sturdier towers were targeted to be completed by April.
The Bohol Light Company Inc., one of the three power utilities in the province, said its “teams are doing their best effort for the continuous restoration to areas that are not yet cleared and still unsafe to be energized.”
Bohol Electric Cooperative, Inc. (BOHECO 1) said as of 3 p. m. Wednesday, a total of 1,770 (or 35%) was restored out of 4,991 damaged poles. The backbone lines were 100% restored already. The rehabilitation of the lateral lines is at 28% (1,231 repaired out of 4,452).
BOHECO 2 said 131 out of 476 barangays were ready to be restored. Only 11,128 houses have electricity.
Bohol remains “powerless” after Odette wreaked havoc on the province on Dec. 16, 2021. It was unable to get electricity from Leyte as the typhoon toppled the towers of the NGCP in Barangay Union, Ubay.
The province got its power supply from Power Barge 104 at Tapal, Ubay, and Bohol Diesel Power Plant at Dampas District in Tagbilaran City, although it was not enough to meet the demand of Bohol, which was pegged at 90 megawatts.