The Iloilo Grain Complex Corp. (IGCC) has asked the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to consider its alternative offer in carrying out components crucial to the completion of the Panay-Guimaras 138-kilovolt (kV) interconnection project.
Toby Tañada, IGCC spokesperson, said the company had proposed NGCP’s existing 69kV line can share posts, structures and right- of -way (ROW) and be underbuilt under the proposed 138kV transmission lines.
Tañada said underbuilt overhead transmission systems are typically resorted to when there are constraints or limitations in the ROW as it will involve lesser acquisition requirements and the sharing of posts or structures between two transmission or distribution lines.
He said the company’s sister firm, La Filipina Uy Gongco Corp., will not object to the proposed alternative transmission line route which traverses its property.
The Supreme Court has issued a temporary restraining order preventing NGCP from executing the writ of possession (WOP) and all other related orders issued by the Iloilo Regional Trial Court Branch 33 dated Dec. 12, 2022.
NGCP said two tower sites fall under the property of IGCC.
NGCP said it fully complied with the requisites for WOP issuance and rejected IGCC’s alternative which would re-route the transmission through a residential area.
It said any deviation in the established route may also affect adjacent towers and cause further delay to the completion of the project.
The 1.7-kilometer transmission line will connect the proposed Iloilo substation to the Ingore cable terminal station which will serve as the connection point of the submarine cable to Guimaras Island.
NGCP had said the Panay-Guimaras project will address the increasing demand for power in Iloilo City and will provide greater transfer capacity to and from Guimaras Island where renewable energy projects are being developed. -Jed Macapagal
