The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) on Thursday said the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) may be delayed as several portions of its fiber optic connection were damaged.
According to the company, the first portion of its submarine cable for the Capitan-Santander 350 kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) “was found to have been damaged in several locations.”
The line, which was completed last November, runs between Zamboanga del Norte and Cebu.
Initial reports show a vessel navigating the area where the first cable was laid a month after the completion of the cable laying activity. The damage was discovered while the second cable was being laid.
The NGCP said investigation is underway. But a company official clarified that there are “no indication” of sabotage.
“This is an unfortunate circumstance which may delay the MVIP timeline. NGCP is working on a catch-up plan given the fragility of handling fiber optic submarine cables,” the company said.
A project of national significance, the MVIP’s completion was extended from December 2020 to December 22021 due to the pandemic.
The damage will require the NGCP to conduct another procurement procedure, which is also affected by the current quarantine restrictions on cable shipping and availability of foreign experts. Weather and tide conditions may also affect the repair works.
Once completed, the MVIP will connect the Visayas and Mindanao grids through an HVDC system with a 450 MegaWatt (MW) initial capacity. It covers 184 circuit kilometers (ckm) of submarine cables and 526 ckm of overhead wires connecting Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte to Santander, Cebu.
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