THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said it has fully energized the Hermosa-San Jose (HSJ) 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line with a capacity of 8,000 megawatts (MW).
“NGCP completes this landmark energy project under the leadership and guidance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.,” the grid operator said in a statement on Monday.
“This marks the full completion and energization at full capacity of this critical facility, strengthening and expanding the grid under NGCP,” it added.
The P17.3-billion HSJ transmission line was initially energized in May 2023 to facilitate power generation in Bataan, with a transfer capacity of 2,000 MW.
It spans across the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan.
Initially, only a quarter of the full 8,000-MW capacity of Lines 1 and 2 was transferred, pending completion of the then unfinished section of the line.
In July 2023, a portion of the line owned by Phirst Park Homes, Inc. was the subject of a temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court.
Upon receiving the TRO, NGCP halted activities along Towers 170-178 of the line, thereby halting the ongoing stringing of the remaining circuit.
“With the completion of this critical project, NGCP is optimistic that the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) will act on the overdue recoveries applied for by NGCP,” the company said.
The grid operator reported that the ERC has authorized NGCP to recover only P19 million, which constitutes 0.1% of the total project cost.
The HSJ transmission line forms part of the P20.94-billion Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500-kV line. It consists of 395 transmission towers, 275.6 circuit kilometers of transmission lines, two new substations, and 2,000 megavolt-amperes in substation capacity. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
