NGCP: Completion of 500kV Bataan line underway after lifting of TRO

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Tuesday said the completion of the Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line (HSJ), critical to secure transmission services in Luzon, was underway after the Supreme Court lifted the temporary restraining order (TRO) on the project.

In a statement, the NGCP said the completion of the HSJ line was delayed for nine months due to the TRO.

Citing the high court’s order, the grid operator said the TRO, issued in July 2023, was lifted through the issuance of a resolution dated February 28, 2024, and was promulgated on April 8, 2024.

“We are happy that the Supreme Court thoroughly studied the case and found no merit in the petitions filed against NGCP. This will enable us to complete the remaining portion of the HSJ which will better serve the bulk generation coming in from Bataan,” the NGCP said.

The TRO was issued against the expropriation of and construction of a portion of the HSJ in a property owned by Phirst Park Homes Inc. (PPHI).

The NGCP said it immediately stopped project-related activities along Towers 170-178 of the said line upon receipt of the TRO on July 6, 2023.

The TRO, it said, stalled the ongoing stringing of the line’s remaining circuit.

“The case filed by PPHI and the subsequent court prohibition affected the remaining work for its full completion, halting construction work from July 2023 to April 2024,” the grid operator said.

“HSJ was already energized last May 27, 2023 to accommodate power generation from Bataan with a transfer capacity of 2,000MW —only a quarter of the full 8,000MW capacity of Lines 1 and 2 pending the completion of the unfinished portion of the line,” it said.

With the lifting of the TRO, the NGCP began stringing activities for the affected section of the line and completed Line 1 last May 19, 2024, enabling 4,000MW line capacity.

The company said that Line 2 of the HSJ would be finished in mid-July.

The HSJ has a project cost of P17.3 billion.

The project was certified as an Energy Project of National Significance (EPNS) and its full completion and energization at full capacity was critical in accommodating additional power generation to the grid to prevent Luzon-wide power interruptions, according to the NGCP.

“Of the actual cost of the project, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has allowed NGCP to recover only P19 million, or only 0.1% of the cost of the project,” it said. — DVM, GMA Integrated News