At 7:22AM on 27 May 2023, power transmission grid operator NGCP successfully energized the Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line, an Energy Project of National Significance which will further improve the reliability of the Luzon transmission backbone.
Spanning the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Bataan, the project will strengthen transmission services and accommodate new bulk power generation from the Bataan area.
“The Hermosa-San Jose 500kV project is a major component in our planned Luzon 500kV transmission backbone. Despite many challenges, our teams worked 24/7 to complete this facility. With the energization of the line comes the improved transmission from generation sources towards the load center Metro Manila and nearby provinces,” said NGCP.
Besides the new transmission line from Bulacan to Bataan, the project includes the construction of a new Hermosa 500kV Substation, which will enable better voltage regulation and power transfer from existing 230kV facilities in the area.
The project was provisionally approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) with a cost of PhP 10.2Billion; however, the ERC has only allowed the partial recovery of PhP 19 Million or less than 1% of the actual project cost. Given the urgent need to widen the transmission highway along the Bataan corridor, NGCP implemented the HSJ, setting aside for later, the issue on recovery approvals from the ERC. “Our priority has and will always be doing what is best for the public. Financial considerations can take a back seat and be threshed out later,” the company stressed. “We hope to correct the impression that the consumers are somehow short changed with how rates are computed. Our commitment has never wavered: we serve the public, and we work within the legal and regulatory framework of our concession and franchise,” NGCP emphasized.
NGCP is slated to complete other critical projects in Visayas and Mindanao in the coming months. “Our stakeholders can be assured that we will continue our grid improvement, expansion, and reinforcement initiatives to deliver quality and reliable transmission services,” said NGCP.