Mindanao to expect stable, sufficient power supply soon
CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Friday said people in his city and other parts of Mindanao could soon expect stable and sufficient electricity supply.
He made the statement as he lauded the start by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) of the second phase of its P10.6-billion Mindanao substation upgrading program with the energization of a 100-megavolt ampere transformer in Toril district in Davao City.
“Our constituents in Cagayan de Oro and Mindanao are grateful to NGCP, especially to Chairman Henry Sy Jr. and President Anthony Almeda, for this substation upgrading program,” Rodriguez said.
He said Davao City “is just the start and we await the energization of more substations all over Mindanao, including Cagayan de Oro City and our province, Misamis Oriental.”
“Once this program is complete, and together with the interconnection of the Mindanao grid to Visayas and Luzon, there should be stable and ample power supply in Mindanao. Who knows, power rates may even go down,” he said.
He noted that Mindanao residents have been complaining about the high cost of electricity in the island.
Aside from Toril district, NGCP has said it would install new transformers in Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Agusan del Norte, Davao del Sur, North Cotabato, and South Cotabato “to ensure continuous operations in case of outages.”
It said the energization of the Toril transformer and similar facilities in Mindanao “will boost the grid’s overall reliability.”
It said its substation upgrading program “is again testament to our commitment to expand and improve the country’s transmission grid and to provide better services at a lower cost to the consumer.”
“These upgrading efforts are ultimately geared towards readying the grid for the influx of businesses, industries and investments in the region,” NGCP added.
