THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has commissioned a new 100 mega volt ampere (MVA) power transformer at its Tuguegarao substation, paving the way for a more reliable and sufficient power supply in the provinces of Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga and Apayao.
The facility improvement, a part of the system operator’s Luzon Substation Expansion Project, almost doubled the capacity of Tuguegarao Substation to 190 MVA. This means the substation now has more room to transmit additional power supply from new generators and to accommodate the incoming demand from Lallo airport and several local businesses in the area.
The company said the energization of the new transformer is very timely since demand for power increases, as the country experiences El Niño and the temperature continues to rise, especially in Tuguegarao.
“This development is the result of a series of substation expansions to ensure our facilities operate at an optimal level and, at the same time, are ready to sustain an increase in both power supply and demand.
“With the additional 100 MVA, we can assure our customers, particularly those connected to Cagelco I, Cagelco II, Iselco II, Kaelco and the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) of reliable and more efficient power-transmission operations. NGCP is confident we can replicate this achievement in North Luzon throughout the rest of our facilities,” NGCP said in a statement on Monday.
NGCP is a privately owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining and developing the country’s power grid. It transmits high-voltage electricity through “power superhighways” that include the interconnected system of transmission lines, towers, substations and related assets.
The consortium, which holds the 25-year concession contract to operate the country’s power transmission network, is comprised of Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp. led by Henry Sy Jr., Calaca High Power Corp. led by Robert Coyiuto Jr., and the State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC) as technical adviser.