“Finally, we have connected the power grids of all three major island groups.”
President Ferdinand R. Marcos made the report in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday at the House of Representatives.
The President highlighted the success of connecting Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao’s power grids through completed energy projects.
“Energy sharing and transfers between, among, and within the three island groups have now been made possible with the energization last January of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection,” he said.
The President said the nation’s power supply is expected to “increase at a steady pace” to meet the country’s growing need in the coming years as energy projects are completed and new investments arise for the sector.
Nevertheless, President Marcos assured the continuous efforts to diagnose and immediately address power shortages and persistent causes of power outages.
“Nireremedyuhan natin ang pangangailangan ng mga lugar na wala pang kuryente at madalas ma-brownout, sa pamamagitan ng microgrid at off-grid systems, at mga missionary small power utilities na sinusuportahan pa rin ng solar,” he said.
According to the Chief Executive, the reliability of the Luzon power grid will further strengthen as the newly inaugurated Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose transmission line powers through Bataan, Pampanga, and Bulacan.
The President also highlighted the completion of the Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project, which will stabilize the power situation and prevent the recurrences of power outages previously experienced in Western and Central Visayas.
“Dahil sa proyektong ito, naiwasan ang blackouts sa Panay Island noong Abril hanggang Hunyo, sa kabila ng yellow at red alerts sa region,” President Marcos said.
The President also highlighted the freshly energized Dumanjung-Corella Line of the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project that allows the transfer of power between Cebu and Bohol, which was powered last week.
“With these systems currently operating at capacity, these major power lines shall contribute to the efficient power exchanges not only between Luzon and the Visayas, but also involving Mindanao,” he said.
The President said it was a “defining moment” for the power sector and the whole country when the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection was energized.
“The “unified Philippine Grid” is a fulfillment of this dream, whose seeds were planted in the 80s, through a vision bolstered by R&D, which we accomplished by applying typical Filipino persistence and dedication,” President Marcos said. PND
