Halt order on Pampanga substation endangers power supply — NGCP
THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) warned that households in Pampanga may face possible power interruptions after the municipality of San Simon halted construction of a 230-kilovolt (kV) substation in that town.
“Without this substation, the reliability of transmission services in the Pampanga area is threatened, and power interruptions are a real possibility,” the NGCP said in a statement.
A closure order dated Sept. 9 has been signed alleging that the substation was constructed without the permits required by San Simon’s local government.
The NGCP has since appealed to local officials to allow the resumption of its activities, noting that the substation was certified as an Energy Project of National
Significance (EPNS) by the Department of Energy in 2019.
The corporation also said it had presented to the LGU a copy of the building permit it issued for the project in June 2021 before the construction of the substation.
The San Simon 230-kV substation is designed as an alternate source of power for customers connected to the Mexico substation.
The NGCP said it seeks to reinforce the reliability and stability of power transmission services in the Luzon grid.
“We are appealing to the local officials of San Simon to lift the closure order and allow NGCP to continue with this grid improvement initiative,” the company said.
“We share the common goal of delivering efficient and reliable services to the Filipino people,” it added.
The corporation is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s power grid, led by majority shareholders and Vice Chairman of the
Board Henry Sy, Jr. and Co-Vice Chairman Robert Coyiuto, Jr.
It is the sole operating asset of Synergy Grid and Development Philippines, Inc.
