Cebu-Bohol power transmission linkage reaches full throttle

HIGH-VOLTAGE The project is part of a long-term plan to provide a 230-kilovolt loop for Central Visayas. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The power sector in Central Visayas is given a boost as the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) has fully activated the P19.76-billion Cebu-Bohol Interconnection transmission facility.

In a statement on Tuesday, the operator of the country’s power grid said the facility was now conveying energy at its full capacity of 230 kilovolt (kV), providing needed support to Bohol’s increasing electricity demand amid the tourism boom in the island province.

The new facility connects the towns of Argao in Cebu and Maribojoc in Bohol through 54.6 circuit-kilometers of submarine cable that traverses the Bohol Strait.

The transmission link also has 97.6 circuit-kilometers of high-voltage power lines supported by 179 overhead towers from Argao to the Dumanjug Substation in Cebu, and from Maribojoc to the Corella Substation in Bohol.

NGCP said the new transmission line could address needs for N-1 contingency, ensuring that the grid can withstand a major system disturbance with minimal or no impact to the system.

“The Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project (CBIP) will play a crucial role in improving transmission services and grid stability in Central Visayas,” the company said.

Corridor

“It will also help improve the transmission highway in Cebu, the load center of Visayas, with a new line to transmit power in and out of the province,” it added.

Also, the system operators said the project is part of a long-term plan to provide a 230-kV loop that covers Leyte, Cebu and Bohol.

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“With its completion, the CBIP will now provide a new transmission corridor, thereby improving grid stability, security, and reliability for everyone’s benefit,” NGCP said.

The company recently completed several other big-ticket projects, including the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project, the Cebu-Negros-Panay Backbone Project and the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500kV Transmission Line.

Earlier this month, NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said the group earmarked more than P600 billion to finance more than a hundred transmission projects across the Philippines.

Most of these projects are included in the NGCP’s Transmission Development Plan 2024-2050, she said.