National Grid Corp. of the Philippines is seeking provisional authority from the Energy Regulatory Commission to conduct a study on the Visayas-Mindanao Western Route (Cebu-Negros-Zamboanga del Norte) interconnection project.
National Grid said in an application the feasibility study would determine the best and safest route for the cable and landing of the interconnection that would allow the transfer of excess capacity from Mindanao to the Visayas grid.
The company said in a feasibility study it earlier commissioned the proposed Visayas-Mindanao interconnection from Leyte to Surigao would encounter several significant environmental risks and perils. It discovered seismic hazards in the Surigao Strait, which may limit the viability of the routes.
National Grid is considering an alternate route by exploring the western side for the connection of the Visayas and Mindanao grids.