NGCP Open to Fast-Tracking Mindoro-Panay Power Interconnection

MANILA, Philippines — The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) is open to fast-tracking the Mindoro-Panay interconnection project in the medium term to boost power supply in the Visayas. While the project was not originally planned within the medium horizon, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said the grid operator is “100 percent willing” to advance its implementation. “So if the previous plan was that we could defer it to 2040, given the situation we are seeing in the Visayas, the NGCP is now considering accelerating the timelines,” Alabanza told reporters. The Mindoro-Panay interconnection will connect the Visayas to the transmission link between Batangas and Mindoro, creating a critical loop between Luzon and the Visayas and allowing additional power to flow between the two grids. The project will give the power system greater flexibility during periods of tight supply and plant outages while helping meet the growing electricity needs of the Visayas region. The Visayas grid relies on electricity imports from both Luzon and Mindanao, leaving the region vulnerable when either grid has limited power available for export. Since May, rotational brownouts have threatened the Visayas amid high electricity demand and the simultaneous shutdown of several large coal-fired power plants. If advancing the Mindoro-Panay project is the government’s direction, however, Luzon’s power planning may also need to be revisited. “The entire balance will change. So it will overhaul planning for Luzon itself if you will now factor in exports to the Visayas as a daily occurrence,” Alabanza said. Information Source: Philstar Business