The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) fully energized last Saturday the P10.2 billion Hermosa-San Jose (HSJ) 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission line.
The company said the facility will further improve the reliability of the Luzon transmission backbone as it traverses the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga and Bataan.
NGCP added the project, considered as an Energy Project of National Significance, will also strengthen transmission services and accommodate new bulk power generation in the area.
“The Hermosa-San Jose 500kV project is a major component in our planned Luzon 500kV transmission backbone. Despite many challenges, our teams worked 24/7 to complete this facility. With the energization of the line comes the improved transmission from generation sources towards the load center Metro Manila and nearby provinces,” said NGCP, in a statement.
Apart from the new transmission line from Bulacan to Bataan, the project also includes the construction of a new Hermosa 500kV substation which will enable better voltage regulation and power transfer from existing 230kV facilities in the area.
NGCP said the project was provisionally approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission with a cost of P10.2 billion but the regulatory body has only allowed the partial recovery of P19 million or less than 1 percent of the actual project cost, given the urgent need to widen the transmission highway along the Bataan corridor.
NGCP said it is slated to complete other critical projects in Visayas and Mindanao in the coming months. -Jed Macapagal
