NGCP set to finish P17.3-B 500-kV HSJ transmission line

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) is scheduled to complete Line 2 of the P17.3-billion Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line (HSJ) in July after a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that slowed down the project was lifted.

The Supreme Court lifted the said TRO — enabling NGCP to push through with the last stages of stringing to complete the project critical to secure transmission services in Luzon.

The High Court issued a Resolution dated 28 February and promulgated last 8 April, stating that the TRO released last July 2023 is lifted.

No merit in petition

“We are happy that the Supreme Court thoroughly studied the case and found no merit in the petitions filed against NGCP. This will enable us to complete the remaining portion of the HSJ which will better serve the bulk generation coming in from Bataan,” NGCP said in a statement on Tuesday.

HSJ was already energized last 27 May to accommodate power generation from Bataan with a transfer capacity of 2,000MW.

The capacity was only a quarter of the full 8,000MW capacity of Lines 1 and 2 pending the completion of the unfinished portion of the line.

Stringing activities

NGCP has already started stringing activities for the affected section of the line and completed Line 1 last 19 May, enabling 4,000MW line capacity.

Line 2, according to NGCP, is expected to be finished in mid-July.

A TRO was issued against the expropriation of and construction of a portion of the HSJ owned by Phirst Park Homes Inc. (PPHI).

Upon receipt on 6 July 2023, NGCP stopped project-related activities along Towers 170-178 of the said line, stalling the ongoing stringing of the line’s remaining circuit.

The case filed by PPHI and the subsequent court prohibition affected the remaining works for its full completion, halting construction works from July 2023 to April 2024.

Energy Project of National Significance

The HSJ is certified as an Energy Project of National Significance and its full completion and energization at full capacity are critical in accommodating additional power generation to the grid to prevent Luzon-wide power interruptions.

Of the actual cost of the project, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has allowed NGCP to recover only P19 million, or only 0.1 percent of the cost of the project.

“The NGCP is optimistic that the ERC will act with appropriate haste on the recoveries applied for by NGCP, as these are long overdue,” the NGCP added.