Negros Power eyes June line upgrade

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — Negros Electric and Power Corp. is targeting the completion of the rehabilitation and upgrade of the 69-kilovolt Bacolod-Bata transmission line by June to improve power reliability and meet rising electricity demand in the city and nearby areas.

Engr. Joe-Mel Zaporteza, vice president and chief operations officer of Negros Power, said the project is 70% complete and remains on schedule.

“It is very critical that we have adequate infrastructure in our 69kV system because if the line is weak, it could result in brownouts,” Zaporteza said.

At present, 11 substations within the Negros Power franchise area are connected through various 69-kV subtransmission lines.

The Bacolod-Bata line currently serves two 37.5-megavolt ampere substations with a combined capacity of 75 MVA.

Zaporteza said the Bacolod-Bata line previously had a total capacity of 126 MVA, enough to support the current load of about 75 MVA from the existing substations.

But with the continued growth of Bacolod City and nearby areas, Negros Power is preparing to build two additional 37.5-MVA substations: the Capitol Substation and the Megaworld Substation.

The new facilities will increase the number of substations in the company’s franchise area to 13.

“These will be the first two substations to be built by Negros Power since we started operations in August 2024,” Zaporteza said.

Negros Power has allocated more than PHP 600 million for the two substation projects.

The Capitol Substation is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year.

The Megaworld Substation is targeted for completion by early 2027 or within the first half of that year.

With four substations eventually connected to the Bacolod-Bata line, Zaporteza said the projected load could reach 175 MVA by this year or early next year.

To accommodate the increasing demand, Negros Power is upgrading the line’s capacity from 126 MVA to 220 MVA.

“We are doing this investment so that the system will have more than enough capacity to support the two new substations and future growth,” he said.

The upgrade also aims to improve the flexibility and reliability of the power system, helping minimize outages and prevent overloading.

Negros Power said the project is part of its long-term plan to build a stronger and more dependable power system for Negros amid economic growth and increasing energy demand.

Zaporteza said at least 28 days of scheduled power interruptions were conducted from March to May to allow crews to complete critical work.

“We ask consumers to bear with us during these interruptions because these are necessary to complete the rehabilitation project,” he said.

A major scheduled power interruption is also set for May 24 to allow critical line transfer and system integration activities.

The outage, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., will affect the Alijis, Reclamation and Asdes-Gonzaga substations.

Around 78,000 consumers are expected to be affected.

“We understand this is a very big inconvenience to our consumers, so this early, we are already appealing for their understanding,” Zaporteza said.

As of May 12, Negros Power reported that 4.47 kilometers of the 6.5-kilometer rehabilitation project had been completed.

The company also said 10 of the 17 required support poles had been erected.

Negros Power is replacing old wires with stronger, higher-capacity conductors that can carry more electricity.

Additional poles are being installed to support the heavier lines.

“In simple terms, stronger wires need stronger support,” the company said in a statement.

Negros Power said structural and reinforcement works are ongoing to ensure the stability and safety of the upgraded transmission line.

The company has implemented several scheduled power interruptions in recent months to facilitate the rehabilitation activities.