The Mindanao-Visayas interconnection project (MVIP) is 80 percent complete and can already transport power from the two islands, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
This developed as the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) signed yesterday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) to jointly strengthen the country’s defense and efforts to fend off attacks especially on energy infrastructure.
Through the MVIP, the Mindanao grid will be linked to the Visayas grid using a high voltage direct current system with a 450-megawatt (MW) initial capacity.
“According to NGCP, the interconnection between Mindanao and Visayas will be 80 percent complete by March. Some of the extra power from the 450 MW that are available through the submarine cable, 80 percent of that can be transported to the Visayas to Cebu,” DOE Secretary Raphael Lotilla told reporters on the sidelines of an event hosted by the Makati Business Club yesterday.
Lotilla added NGCP is set to fully complete the MVIP by June 30.
Lotilla said NGCP is also set to finish the Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection by June 30.
“If those things are realized, we can have the stranded power from Negros also transported to Cebu and we can also have part of that go to Luzon,” Lotilla said.
The DOE said the partial completion of MVIP this month also further supports actions to assure that power supply during the summer months will remain stable.
Meanwhile, the MOU signed yesterday between NGCP and NICA would help allay fears of some sectors that allowing foreign entities in the country’s power transmission system would present a security threat to the Philippines.
Under the MOU, NGCP can share vital information on energy-related security issues and provide technical advice to the NICA.
NICA, for its part, shall integrate collected intelligence information from various government instrumentalities, make an analysis, assess the data, and recommend actions in safeguarding NGCP’s transmission assets.
This would help NGCP effectively deal with attacks from lawless elements after experiencing sabotage and bombing incidents in the past that resulted in injury to its personnel as well as military escorts patrolling the transmission operator’s area of jurisdiction. – with Jocelyn Montemayor
