NGCP: Delays in grid connection projects being addressed

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said on Tuesday that measures are being taken to resolve problems that delay the completion of transmission projects.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday that the government is reviewing the NGCP's performance after the Energy Regulatory Commission revealed that 68 grid connections are "much delayed.''

According to Dano Tingcungco's report on ''24 Oras,'' the ERC issued show cause orders to the NGCP on July 6 regarding 37 of the 68 grid connections. The transmission operator said seven of these projects had already been completed.

NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said that the delays were due to several factors, including right of way issues and securing permits from local government units.

She said that they have written to the Supreme Court to ask for assistance in resolving expropriation cases and have made appeals to the Department of the Interior and Local Government to streamline permit processes.

In his speech, Marcos said the NGCP should ''complete all of its deliverables, starting with the vital Mindanao-Visayas and Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections.''

Alabanza said Marcos' call highlighted the NGCP's role as an ''enabler of power stability'' in the country.

''He calls for a whole-of-government approach. I think it's really a call for patriotism,'' she said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News