MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Friday called on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to “faithfully fulfill” its obligations in ensuring safe and reliable grid operation and energy transmission to avoid a repeat of energy supply issues.

NGCP is a privately owned corporation tasked to operate, maintain and develop the country’s state-owned power grid.

In his speech during the ceremonial energization of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) at the Malacanang Palace, Marcos reminded NGCP of its commitments to complete the 230 kV Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project by March and the Hermosa-San Jose 500 kV transmission lines next month.

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“We acknowledge the NGCP’s immense responsibility and role in maintaining the stability of our grid, including the need to ensure the completion of critical interconnection projects and to undertake other necessary activities to support a safe, reliable grid operation,” Marcos said.

“We do realize these are daunting tasks, but I call on you to faithfully fulfill these obligations which is so necessary for the progress of our country,” he said.

Marcos said he does not want to see a repeat of the “critical incident” earlier this month when Panay Island was in “total blackout” for three days while parts of Negros Occidental were under rotational power.

“The power interruption caused P3.8 billion in economic losses in the Province of Iloilo alone, notwithstanding the inconvenience that it brought to the people of Western Visayas,” he said.

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“This incident emphasized the vital role of these interconnection projects. We cannot afford to have another round of this costly interruption, not only in Panay Island but anywhere in the country,” he also said.

Marcos also highlighted the need for “greater responsibility, transparency and accountability” among key players in the power sector and with NGCP as the single operator of the country’s power grid.

He also instructed the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to study a proposal to permit third parties to construct transmission projects “at the pace required by the country’s power needs”.

Further, he directed ERC to complete the reset of NGCP’s rates as soon as possible.

“Each of us here has a shared responsibility to ensure the reliability and the adequacy of energy supply at all times,” he said.

“I strongly believe that a brighter future awaits us, so therefore, I enjoin your cooperation and commitment as we achieve our goal for our country’s total electrification in the soonest possible time,” he added.

Meanwhile, Marcos led the ceremonial energizing of the 450-megawatt Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP), which physically connects three major power grids.

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“A 184-circuit-kilometer High-Voltage Direct Current submarine cable with a transfer capacity of 450 MW now connects the Mindanao and Visayas grids via Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and Santander in Cebu,” the President noted.

“This infrastructure allows power generated in Mindanao to supply our homes and establishments in Visayas and now all the way to Luzon, and vice versa. Indeed, this interconnection will unlock enormous socio-economic development potential for both Visayas and Mindanao,” he added.