President Duterte leads the ceremonial switch-on of the interconnection of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro transmission lines 

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Thursday evening led the ceremonial switch on and launch of the Occidental and Oriental Mindoro grid networks after the National Power Corporation (NPC) completed the Bansud to Mansalay and Mansalay to San Jose 69 kV lines

and the rehabilitation of the Minolo (Puerto Galera) to Mamburao 69 kV lines, located in the southern and northern part of the island, respectively.

President Duterte visited Mindoro to inaugurate the national government’s eight seaport development projects and attend the meeting of the Joint National Task Force-Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict in Mimaropa.

NPC Officer-in-Charge Donato D. Marcos said that the two newly completed transmission lines and the rehabilitation of the rest of the transmission system put the two provinces in a loop. This will allow the export and import of power between ORMECO and OMECO which is seen as one of the ways to address the power supply shortage in the island.

“The rehabilitation works also fortified our facilities making them more climate-resilient while improving the reliability of dispatch of power,” said Marcos.

Also present in the event was Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi who briefly discussed with President Duterte NPC’s interconnection project during the program. 

NPC, as mandated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or Republic Act 9136, is tasked to perform missionary electrification in the farthest communities and islands not connected to the main grid. It is in this capacity that the corporation operates 276 Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) plants and facilitate the operation and maintenance of the transmission system of six provinces such as Palawan, Catanduanes, Masbate, Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro.