The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) on Thursday broke ground for the submarine cable terminal station (CTS) of the Cebu-Bohol 230-kilovolt Interconnection Project which is seen to help Bohol meet its growing power demand.
The ceremony which was led by NGCP senior manager Henry Labrada and various local government officials marked a significant progress in the project which has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to NGCP Visayas spokesperson Betty Martinez, initial construction works for the terminal station at a two-hectare lot in Barangay Punta Cruz, Maribojoc will start within the month or in January next year.
She said the submarine cable laying will start once the terminal stations in both Bohol and Argao, Cebu will be completed.
“The submarine cable laying will be done late next year, unahon sa ang CTS kay e-connect man na siya…if possible, simultaneous ang start ng overhead lines as long as naa nay mga secured tower sites,” said Martinez.
However, the NGCP has yet to break ground for the CTS at the Argo side.
According to Martinez, target completion date for the entire project has been moved to June 2023 from December 2022.
She said the new interconnection will significantly increase Bohol’s capacity to draw power from the Visayas grid, leading to a more stable power supply for the province, which is largely dependent on Leyte for its energy source.
The new interconnection will also help prevent overloading of the current 138-kv Leyte-Bohol submarine cable which has a capacity of 90 megawatts.
“Ang Bohol is dependent on supply from Leyte so this will be an entirely new power highway, dili na siya mo agi sa Leyte, because the connection will be direct from Cebu kay ang Argao CTS naa pud na siyay line going to Dumanjug where we are putting up a new substation and converter station,” she said.
In previous years, Bohol was left with limited power supply when powerplants and interconnection facilities in Leyte were hit by calamities including storms and an earthquake.
The only local sources in Bohol are the Bohol Diesel Power Plant in Tagbilaran City and a power barge in Ubay which do not produce enough power to meet the province’s demands. (A. Doydora)