Dumaguete: The reconductoring of existing transmission lines to deliver more power from the Amlan 69kV sub-station in Amlan, Negros Oriental is more than 50 percent complete, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) said Tuesday. 'A total of 58 percent has been completed by line personnel during the scheduled power outages on Feb. 16 and March 9 in areas serviced by the Negros Oriental II Electric Cooperative (NORECO II),' Michelle Visera of NGCP-Visayas said in an interview.
According to Philippines News Agency, Visera said the NGCP would endeavor to complete the reconductoring of transmission lines during another shutdown of the Amlan 69kV line on March 22. However, if the completion is delayed, another power outage will be scheduled on April 6, she added. NGCP is undertaking the reconductoring or rewiring of transmission lines to larger cables as a 'stop-gap' measure to prevent future Manual Load Shedding (MLD) of the Amlan sub-station when the demand spikes.
The 69kV line has already reached a critical stage as power demand continues to rise, especially in this provincial capital. Visera said a permanent solution to address the supply-and-demand for power in the NORECO II areas is the Amlan-Dumaguete 138kV line. Construction of the said line is ongoing but has slowed down as NGCP continues to negotiate with some property owners for access to their lands.
The areas affected by the recent 13-hour brownouts are San Jose, Sibulan, Dumaguete City, Valencia, Bacong, Dauin, Zamboanguita, and Siaton.
