ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) called for the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to complete all its deliverables including the vital Mindanao-Visayas and Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections.

The MVIP will benefit consumers by providing them a more reliable and sustainable power transmission service that will lessen the instances of power interruptions.

This year, NGCP is set to complete both critical projects which will also promote energy resource sharing, as excess power generated in one region can now be transmitted to the other.

The Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections is a three-stage project that includes the Negros-Cebu interim phase, the upgrading of the transmission system in Cebu stage and the stage 3 which is designed to deliver excess power equivalent to the output of two 400-MW plants from Panay and Negros to Cebu.

In response to the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. during the SONA, NGCP in a statement said it will pull out all stops to expedite the full completion of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection and Stage 3 of the Cebu-Negros-Panay project, both of which were partially energized earlier this year.

“We continue to call on all LGUs to provide the necessary support with the expeditious approval of all relevant permits and assistance with issues on right of way which continue to hinder the seamless implementation of these projects,” the NGCP statement added.

NGCP’s President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Almeda said they agree with the President’s sentiments.

“Even before the SONA, NGCP has already been working towards the vision that he mentioned.  After hearing it straight from him–his vision that is completely aligned with ours–we know we are on the right track and we are more motivated to complete all our objectives in a prompt manner,” Almeda added.

Among the top priorities on NGCP's agenda are the swift completion of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) and Stage 3 of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Interconnection Project (CNP). Both crucial projects have been partially energized, with the MVIP on    track to be fully energized to 450MW by the third quarter of this year.                                                                            

Meanwhile, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry P. Treñas expressed his appreciation to the President for the inclusion of two very important projects the Panay-Negros-Guimaras Bridge and the Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection, which according to him, will create a big impact on the lives of the people in Western Visayas in general, and the residents of Iloilo City in particular. 

“The Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection in the NGCP grid is a truly welcome development as we are hoping to finally have stable energy source, transmission and distribution.,” Treñas said.

In late April this year, the provinces of Panay, Guimaras and Negros Occidental suffered a 12-hour almost daily power outages which also prompted the President to call for NGCP to address the situation. *(EAD-PIA6)