Transmission and grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines vowed to exhaust all available resources to complete ongoing transmission projects while expediting others in the pipeline as part of its commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s energy priorities under his recent State of the Nation Address.
“We agree with the President’s sentiments. Even before the SONA, NGCP has already been working towards the vision that he mentioned,” said NGCP president and chief executive Anthony Almeda.
“After hearing it straight from him–his vision that is completely aligned with ours–we know we are on the right track and we’re more motivated to complete all our objectives in a prompt manner,” he said.
Mr. Marcos said that while the Philippines now has a unified national grid with the interconnection of the Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao grids, 60 grid connections were still delayed.
He said the government was conducting a performance review of NGCP and expects the completion of the critical transmission projects.
NGCP said among its top priorities are the swift completion of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project and Stage 3 of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Interconnection Project.
Both crucial projects were partially energized, with the MVIP on track to be fully energized to 450 megawatts by the third quarter of this year.
NGCP called on all local government units to extend essential support by promptly granting relevant permits and providing necessary assistance in addressing right-of-way issues that have hindered the smooth implementation of these projects.
“We reiterate our call for what the President termed as a ‘cohesive, centralized, and systematic approach’ to planning, including that for energy for stability, resiliency and independence. We echo the President’s observation that while national goals are all within reach, ‘this will require not just the work of a single person or a single branch of government nor even the whole government acting alone, but the collective efforts achieved only by all Filipinos working together,” NGCP said.
NGCP said it would draw on its strategic partnership with the State Grid Corporation of China as it recognizes the importance of increasing the presence of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix.
Leveraging SGCC’s expertise in renewable energy integration, NGCP said it hopes to bolster its capabilities to hasten the transition to renewable and sustainable energy sources.
It said the collaboration with SGCC allows NGCP to accommodate the increasing adoption of renewable energy technologies into the national grid.
NGCP said it also prioritized improving disaster resilience of the grid infrastructure. It will also intensify its ongoing and continuous upgrade of equipment and manpower, especially those that will prevent disruptions, or provide expedient repair, in case of natural disasters.
NGCP has been developing local talent by investing in world-class training and scholarships for aspiring Filipino engineers.