WORK on several transmission towers of the Cebu-Magdugo 230-kilovolt (kV) line in Cebu has been halted.
These were supposed to have been completed in October 2023, but lawyer Cynthia Alabanza, spokesperson of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), did not say when work would resume during a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 9.
The Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) last Sept. 11 to halt the construction after the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) filed a complaint.
Tieza said two of the towers were on its property that is being developed into a golf course even though the NGCP had secured a writ of possession for the property in October 2022 yet.
The NGCP did not say where in Cebu the Tieza property is located.
Alabanza said they filed their response last Sept. 29, and are waiting for the SC’s decision.
“Until that is resolved, we cannot enter the properties and we cannot give you an estimated time of completion. Yun yung main reason kung bakit hindi matatapos ang CNP3 (That’s the main reason the Cebu-Negros-Panay Stage 3 project cannot be completed),” she said.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Tieza for comment to no avail.
Visayan Electric, for its part, said the delay would not directly affect its operation.
The Cebu-Magdugo 230kV Line is a 33-kilometer transmission line stretching from NGCP’s substation in Cebu City to Toledo City, crossing the mountain barangays of both cities.
The NGCP, in a statement, said the project is a vital component of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Stage 3 (CNP3). Without it, the 450-megawatt (MW) power transfer from the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) on the Visayas side cannot be maximized.
MVIP currently operates at a transfer capacity of 270 MW, the firm said.
It said the expansion of the power grids is vital to the economic growth of the country.
“NGCP’s projects are all critical for improving the power grid and boosting economic development. Hindering the completion of these critical infrastructures will not just affect NGCP but the communities and businesses affected by these delays,” it said.
“We are appealing to our stakeholders — we share the same goal of pushing for progress. Energy stability is critical to economic progress. We need your support to expedite and make it happen,” it added.