Repairs completed on transmission lines in Visayas downed by ‘Yolanda’–NGCP

By: Amy R. Remo - 10 years ago

MANILA, Philippines – The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines has completed repairs on the transmission lines damaged by Typhoon Yolanda, which slammed Visayas provinces in early November last year.

In a statement, the NGCP said it has energized the Tolosa-Javier 69-kilovolt (kV) line, which will serve the Don Orestes Romualdez Electric Cooperative (Dorelco), once the distribution utility is ready to receive power.

“NGCP takes pride in this achievement. We are glad that the Typhoon Yolanda restoration is finally completed and that our transmission facilities are 100 percent ready to serve the distribution utilities. Now, we have to start working on the long-term solution to the devastation, which is innovating and improving our designs,” said NGCP spokesperson Cynthia D. Perez-Alabanza.

As NGCP completes the restoration of its transmission facilities, the distribution utilities and electric cooperatives at the distribution side are continuously restoring power to their respective customers.

In its latest report to the Department of Energy, NGCP said that it had fully restored power transmission to the Visayas grid on December 23, 2013 through the use of emergency restoration system and light-weight modular towers. Though temporary, these structures are designed to withstand weather disturbances.

NGCP said permanent restoration of the backbone structures, particularly the 134 towers of the Panit-an-Nabas 138-kV line in Capiz and the 72 towers of the Ormoc-Isabel 138-kV line in Leyte, will commence “once the detailed design is completed.”

NGCP said it aimed to create new designs of transmission towers that could withstand the wind speed of supertyphoons.

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.