KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews / 12 November) — The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) announced on Tuesday that restoration work on its quake-damaged sub-station was completed on Sunday, November 10, a week ahead of its scheduled energization.
In a statement, Michael Ortega Ligalig, Regional Communications and Public Affairs Officer for NGCP in Southern Mindanao, said the Kidapawan sub-station was energized on November 10 and is now ready to accommodate power from the Energy Development Corporation-owned 106-megawatt Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant (MAGPP) located at the foothills of Mt. Apo.
The geothermal plant supplies power to the Mindanao grid via Kidapawan substation.
The Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Cotelco), in its advisory, told consumers they were using as alternate source, power from the 69KV Tacurong sub-station in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat when their facilities, including the high-voltage equipment, were badly damaged by the Magnitude 6.5 earthquake on October 31.
Ligalig said access to the substation was initially hindered by landslides, necessitating rescue of substation personnel by chopper.
He said they immediately deployed workers as soon as the roads leading to the damaged sub-station were declared safe and passable
After the assessment, the company immediately implemented a restoration plan that involved clearing of debris; design and installation of scaffolding / support structures; removal of damaged high-voltage equipment; and installation, testing, and evaluation of new equipment.
He stressed that with the collective efforts of their Mindanao personnel and additional line crew from Visayas and South Luzon, the NGCP was able to energize Kidapawan Substation and Kidapawan-Matanao 138kV Line 1 and 2, a week ahead of schedule.
“Our customers can be assured that we will continue monitoring the situation in the area,” he said.
Kidapawan experienced Intensity 7 in the four above-Magnitude 6 earthquakes between October 16 and 31: Magnitude 6.3 on the 16th, 6.6 and 6.1 on the 29th and 6.5 on the 31st. (Malu Cadelina-Manar / MindaNews with a report by Antonio L. Colina IV)