NGCP rushes work on new power line

ILAGAN CITY—Hoping to use it for the May 9 elections, the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has been rushing the construction of a backup 230-kilovolt transmission Line 2 from Santiago City to Tuguegarao City.

The P946.4-million project would reinforce the existing 230-kV Line 1 being used by the North Luzon transmission corridor in Cagayan Valley, said Lilibeth Gaydowen, NGCP-North Luzon corporate communications and public affairs officer.

The transmission line, which spans

117 kilometers, was supposed to have been completed this month but was delayed due to right-of-way issues, she said.

“We hope to finish the project to be able to have a backup should the Line 1 transmission cable fail in an emergency situation,” she said.

It was designed to ensure the flow of electricity if the Santiago-Gamu and Gamu-Tuguegarao 230-kV line segments are damaged during a power outage.

Gaydowen said line segments in the region have been vulnerable to unplanned power interruptions.

The project would address the contingency requirements for the North Luzon transmission corridor that serves the provinces of Cagayan, Kalinga, Apayao and Isabela.

In Kalinga, the provincial government has switched on the P110-million Bulanao hydroelectric plant (BHEP), which harnesses the 22-meter drop in the Tabuk Supply Canal 1 of the Upper Chico River Irrigation System.

The BHEP went into operation on Feb. 28, initially producing a little less than 1 megawatt for the Kalinga-Apayao Electric Cooperative (Kaelco).

Kaelco serves Tabuk City and Pinukpuk, Tanudan, Tinglayan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Balbalan and Rizal, all in Kalinga, and Conner, Kabugao and Calanasan towns in neighboring Apayao. Villamor Visaya Jr., Inquirer Northern Luzon and Estanislao Albano, contributor