Transmission operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said it expects the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project to be completed by the first quarter next year.
“We’re working on the schedule this year or early next year. Our main real problem only now is a couple of land owners but everything is already there… The lines are there, even our substations are all over already from one side to another,” NGCP president Anthony Almeda said over the weekend.
Almeda sought help from the people of Mindanao to complete the right-of-way issues of the project.
“We’d ask the help of people from Mindanao,” Almeda said.
“The rest, the equipment, everything is in place already. It’s just the land that has to be given to our technical group. We will push hard for the timeline,” he said.
NGCP earlier said the project was facing further delays beyond its December target because of the damage sustained by several portions of its fiber optic cable connection.
“This is an unfortunate circumstance which may delay the MVIP timeline. NGCP is working on a catch-up plan given the fragility of handling fiber optic submarine cables,” NGCP announced in February.
The submarine cable no.1 portion of the MVIP’s Dapitan-Santander 350-kV high voltage direct current line between Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and Santander, Cebu, which was completed only on Nov. last year was found to have been damaged in several locations
The MVIP, certified as an energy project of national significance in 2018, was initially targeted for completion by December 2020, but was extended to December 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine restrictions across the country.
The project will connect the Visayas and Mindanao grids through a high voltage direct current system with a 450-megawatt initial capacity upon completion.
The project covers 184 circuit kilometers of submarine cables and 526 ckm of overhead wires connecting Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte to Santander, Cebu.
NGCP continues to invest in transmission network projects to ensure the stability, reliability and security of the power transmission highway.