THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has recently approved PV Sinag Power Inc.’s application to connect its solar power plants to the country’s electricity grid.
PV Sinag is a special purpose entity and subsidiary of Aboitiz Renewables Inc., the renewable energy arm of AboitizPower. It develops, generates, transmits and distributes solar energy, and currently runs the 159-megawatt peak (MWp) Laoag and 75-MWp Cayanga-Bugallon solar plants in Pangasinan.
The ERC, in a decision on Feb. 9 and released on Feb. 15, authorized PV Sinag Power to connect its (Phase 1) 57.8-megawatt-alternating current (MWac) and (Phase 2) 71.40-MWac Laoag solar plant to the Luzon grid, via the 230-kilovolt (kV) conductor of its Cayanga-Bugallon substation, which, in turn, is linked to the Bolo substation of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
The first transmission facility is composed of two takeoff substations for the Phase 1 and 2 plants, and a 14-kilometer, 230-kV, double circuit line.
The second facility is an extension of the electrical conductor at the Cayanga-Bugallon substation.
The initial project cost of P620.45 million had been adjusted to P763,80 million due to additional expenses from power transformers and expansion works, the ERC said.
However, construction of the transmission facilities had been completed even before its approval, the ERC said after an ocular inspection of the site on Oct. 1, 2025.
This has again prompted the agency to call on power generation companies and grid users with projects to first seek approval before proceeding to maintain the integrity and security of the electricity grid.
