Fire at NGCP's Hermosa Substation causes massive blackout

HERMOSA, Bataan -- A large fire at the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines late Saturday afternoon caused widespread power outages in the province and the nearby Hermosa Economic Zone.

The NGCP management reported that at "4:40 PM today, 03 August 2024, a fire broke out at NGCP's Hermosa Substation."

Initial reports indicated that a DICT contractor hit a 69kV line owned and operated by Peninsula Electric Cooperative (PENELCO). The cut power line, located outside the NGCP facility, landed on a non-technical structure within the substation, igniting a large fire.

The fire affected NGCP's Hermosa-Calaguiman 69kV line, servicing three generation plants in Bataan.

It was not known if there were persons injured in the fire incident but an ambulance came rushing out from the area.

As of this writing, the NGCP said, the fire has not affected power transmission services to distribution customers, and there is no transmission-caused power interruption, the NGCP advisory said.

NGCP is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates when necessary, it added.

Meanwhile, PENELCO said in a statement that “unscheduled interruption affecting the areas of Dinalupihan, and Hermosa Ecozone is due to a cut conductor of the Hermosa-Dinalupihan Line, caused by the accidental contact of a truck to the said line along Balsik, Hermosa.”

A fire is also occurring in the same area at the moment, affecting a segment of the same line, PENELCO added.

On 12 July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the inauguration of NGCP’s Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500kV transmission line, which is said to be the largest transmission setup in the country, capable of accommodating 8,000 megawatts.