President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday led the inauguration of the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose (MHSJ) 500 Kilovolt (kV) transmission lines in Bataan. Photo courtesy of Presidential Communications Office.
MANILA — The government under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has achieved significant progress in infrastructure development as it enters its mid-term in 2024, particularly in energizing power grids of the country.
This year, the power grids of the country’s three major island groups – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao – were interconnected through the completion of multiple energy projects.
Under the Marcos administration’s aggressive approach to infrastructure development, the Mariveles-Hermosa-San Jose (MHSJ) 500-kiloVolt (kV) transmission line was inaugurated last July.
Running from Bataan through Pampanga to Bulacan, the P20.94-billion project strengthened the reliability of the Luzon power grid.
In addition, the Cebu-Negros-Panay backbone project, worth P67.9 billion, was completed in April, stabilizing the power situation and mitigated power outages – a perennial problem in Western and Central Visayas.
On the other hand, the Cebu-Bohol Interconnection Project was fully energized in September, providing enhanced connectivity between Cebu and Bohol.
These projects benefited not only Luzon and Visayas, but also Mindanao, with the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection activated. This development marked a “defining moment” for the power sector and the whole country, according to President Marcos during his third State of the Nation Address in July.
The infrastructure links the Mindanao and Visayas grids via Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and Santander, Cebu, through a 184-circuit-kilometer high-voltage direct cable with a transfer capacity of 450 MW.
The implementation of these electric infrastructures will lower the cost of electricity in due course. (PND)
