Gov’t eyes 3rd party power transmission projects

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.– INQUIRER.net/Ryan Leagogo

Stressing that the days-long and costly blackout in Western Visayas earlier this month would never happen again, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to study the possibility of allowing third-party transmission projects.

In a speech in Malacañang on Friday, Marcos said the nation should move forward from the power outage that hit Panay and Guimaras Islands that caused P3.8 billion in economic losses.

“This incident emphasized the vital role of these interconnection projects. We cannot afford to have another round of this costly interruption, not only in Panay Island but anywhere in the country,” he said at the ceremonies for the 450-megawatt Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project.

The President said the “massive inconvenience and loss for our people should not occur again” as he pressed for the timely completion of interconnection projects.

Although he recognized the role of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ (NGCP) role in operating the state-owned power grid, Marcos noted the need to do more.

“I have also directed the [DOE and ERC] to look into the proposal of allowing third parties to construct transmission projects at the pace required by the country’s power needs as we grow out of the pandemic economy,” the President said.

READ: Panay blackout takes toll on locals, business

He added that he also told the ERC “to complete the reset of NGCP’s rate without further delay.”

The NGCP came under fire for the days-long blackout in Western Visayas for its failure to finish 37 transmission projects on time, which were meant to upgrade the state’s power grid.

The power outage that hit the region earlier this month was attributed to unplanned maintenance shutdowns.

The NGCP’s shortcomings prompted some lawmakers to press for the review and even the revocation of its 50-year franchise.

In his speech, Marcos recognized that the NGCP has an “immense responsibility and role” in maintaining the stability of the power grid, and that this included “the need to ensure the completion of critical interconnection projects and to undertake other necessary activities to support a safe, reliable grid operation.”

“Let me reiterate the need for greater responsibility, transparency, and accountability among key players in our power sector with the NGCP as the singular operator of our country’s united power grid,” he added. INQ