The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced on Monday that it has energized the 230-kilovolt (kV) Cebu-Bohol power interconnection project to address demand in Bohol.

In its statement, NGCP said that the transmission project will play a crucial role in improving transmission services and grid stability in Central Visayas.

"The CBIP is part of a long-term plan to provide a 230-kV loop covering Leyte, Cebu, and Bohol. With its completion, the CBIP will now provide a new transmission corridor, thereby improving grid stability, security, and reliability for everyone's benefit," NGCP said.

"It will also help improve the transmission highway in Cebu, the load center of the Visayas, a new line to transmit power in and out of the province," NGCP added.

The P19.76-billion project connects Argao, Cebu, and Maribojoc in Bohol province via 54.6 circuit-kilometers of submarine cable crossing the Bohol Strait, and 97.6 circuit-kilometers of transmission lines.

The project comprises 179 overhead towers from Argao to the Dumanjug Substation in Cebu, and from Maribojoc to the Corella Substation in Bohol.

The project was filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) in 2017 and was refiled in 2019 to update the components and cost.

But it was given provisional approval only in 2022 with a cost of P19.76 billion.

"While there were some difficulties with permitting from local government units and several landowners in terms of right-of-way acquisition, the support and cooperation of national and local government agencies and stakeholders were vital to expediting the project's completion and energization, which in turn will help improve transmission services in the region," NGCP stressed.