Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has called on the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to come to terms as soon as possible for the sake of public interest.
Gatchalian stressed that the dispute between the NGCP and TIEZA, an attached agency of the Department of Tourism (DOT), has “significantly delayed the completion of a critical transmission project essential for ensuring the sufficiency of the country’s energy supply.”
The senator was referring to the Cebu-Magdugo 230 kiloVolt (kV) Line, a 33-kilometer transmission line stretching from the NGCP’s substation in Cebu City to Toledo City, crossing the mountain barangays of both cities.
Gatchalian viewed the Cebu-Magdugo project as a vital component of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Stage 3 (CNP3) power sharing and to enable the 450-megawatt (MW) Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) to operate at full capacity.
The MVIP and CNP3 were envisioned to eliminate the threat of a power shortage by providing electricity from comparatively better-supplied Mindanao and other parts of the Visayas.
TIEZA had halted the development of the critical grid connection after securing from the court a temporary restraining order (TRO) against NGCP’s construction of the two transmission towers located on TIEZA’s Kang-Irag property in Cebu.
The senator called on the NGCP and TIEZA to make sure that a compromise agreement is reached by yearend to pave the way for the resumption of the construction of the two transmission towers.
“We cannot afford any further delays,” Gatchalian emphasized.
He hinted that the NGCP and TIEZA have already agreed in principle to resolve their differences through an amicable arrangement.
Senator Nancy Binay, who presided at the recent committee hearing of the DOT’s proposed 2024 budget, reiterated the department’s pronouncement that the power project was expected to be completed by December this year.
“This is a piece of good news that we hope will come to fruition,” Gatchalian noted.
“The documentation will follow suit, enabling NGCP to fast-track the construction with minimal damage and cost for this project,” Gatchalian said, adding that he discussed with TIEZA head Mark Lapid the details and possible resolution of the conflict.
Gatchalian said the Senate Committee on Energy has been very aggressive in pursuing transmission expansion projects in the country as a significant number of such projects were already delayed.
“We always experience yellow and red alerts and transmission is one of the major causes of these alerts,” he said.