On 23 June 2024, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines energized the Hermosa-San Jose 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line at its full 8,000 MegaWatts (MW) capacity.

A part of the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500kV facility, the line will accommodate an additional 2,200MW of supply from new power plants in Bataan and Zambales to the rest of the Luzon grid.

Line 1 was already energized on 27 May 2023 to accommodate power generation in Bataan with a 2,000MW transfer capacity, only a quarter of its full capacity pending the completion of the then unfinished portion of the line, and was fully completed on 19 May 2024, enabling a 4,000MW line capacity. The full completion of Line 2 will accommodate 8,000MW in generation capacity, more than enough for existing and any incoming generation.

“NGCP completes this landmark energy project under the leadership and guidance of Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. This marks the full completion and energization at full capacity of this critical facility, strengthening and expanding the grid under NGCP,” the company said.

The Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose 500kV line comprises 395 transmission towers, 275.6 circuit kilometers of transmission lines, 2 new substations, and 2,000 MVA in substation capacity.

While certified as an Energy Project of National Significance (EPNS), the project still encountered various difficulties particularly on right-of-way due to opposition of landowners, long and tedious judicial processes, and protracted permitting process by local government units. In July 2023, a portion of the line, owned by Phirst Park Homes, Inc., was the subject of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court. NGCP immediately stopped activities along Towers 170-178, stalling the ongoing stringing of the line’s remaining circuit from July 2023 to April 2024.

The Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose transmission line project was filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) at a project cost of PhP 20.94 Billion. Its full completion and energization at full capacity are critical in accommodating additional power generation to the grid to prevent Luzon-wide power interruptions. Of the actual cost of the Hermosa-San Jose line component of the project, the ERC has allowed NGCP to recover only PhP19 Million, or only 0.1% of the cost of the project. “With the completion of this critical project, NGCP is optimistic that the ERC will act on the overdue recoveries applied for by NGCP,” the company added.

NGCP assures the public and its stakeholders that it will continue to deliver on its commitment to improve, expand, strengthen, and reinforce the country’s power grid.