DEMAND for electricity continues to grow alongside the continued growth of the Philippine population and economy.
In 2017 alone, system peak demand for electricity reached 13,789 megawatts (MW) nationwide, and this is projected to reach 49,844 MW by 2040, according to the latest data from the Department of Energy (DOE).
To address this growing demand for electricity in the years ahead, NGCP created its Transmission Development Plan (TDP) 2016-2040. The TDP is aligned and harmonized with the DOE’s Power Development Plan (PDP) 2016-2040, which details the government agency’s planning horizon for the Philippine energy sector.
“Through our TDP, we can ensure that we have the necessary infrastructure to fulfill our vision of a strong, unified electricity transmission network that can meet the country’s increasing power needs until 2040—and beyond,” said NGCP.
As the country’s sole power grid operator, NGCP plays a vital role in the economic growth and development of the country as it transmits electricity to all electric cooperatives, private distribution facilities, and industries across the nation. Given this mandate, NGCP’s overall long-term objectives addressed through TDP are: to expand access to electricity, ensure transparency and accountability in the local energy market, and secure a reliable and affordable energy supply.
NGCP’s TDP lays out the plans for the expansion of the Philippine power grid, and details the electricity transmission projects that have been proposed and scheduled for implementation for the next 25 years. As the system operator, NGCP also oversees grid security and reliability, power quality, and power dispatching and scheduling. As such, NGCP designed the TDP to help identify and mitigate causes of power interruptions and transmission-related outages.
The TDP also addresses the transmission planning approach for the renewable energy sector, particularly wind and solar. It details NGCP’s corresponding action plans to fully support the development and integration of renewable energy into the country’s power grid.
As of March 2018, NGCP has a total transmission line length of 20,848.54 circuit-kilometers (ckm), and a total substation capacity of 34,177.00 megavolt-amperes (MVA), spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. By 2040, to meet the projected system peak demand of 49,844 MW nationwide, NGCP plans to increase its total transmission line length to 35,312 ckm and its total substation capacity to 88,036 MVA.
The Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), expected to be completed by December 2020, is just one of the key projects under the NGCP’s TDP which aims to interconnect the major power grids into a unified national power transmission network. To achieve this vision, NGCP’s TDP also details plants to interconnect emergent island grids, to improve transmission backbones and alternative transmission corridors, and to develop resiliency policies for electricity transmission facilities.
“The comprehensive TDP 2016-2040 is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the NGCP and its engineering team, which carefully prepared the TDP as a ‘master plan’ for the Philippine power grid through various feasibility studies and hydrographic surveys conducted for the past two decades,” NGCP stated.
Under a government-granted 25-year concession, NGCP holds the rights to operate and maintain electricity transmission systems and other related facilities, and to engage in ancillary businesses that will maximize the utilization of the country’s power transmission network and infrastructure. By making a unified national grid possible through the TDP 2016-2040, NGCP bridges power and progress by addressing the country’s increasing electricity demand and by ensuring reliable electricity transmission.
NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately-owned corporation in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s state-owned power grid, and is led by majority shareholders Henry Sy, Jr. and Robert Coyiuto, Jr. (PR)