The Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) may extend beyond its adjusted December 2021 target completion due to the damage of several portions of its fiber optic cable connection.
The submarine cable no.1 portion of the MVIP’s Dapitan-Santander 350kV high voltage direct current (HVDC) line between Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and Santander, Cebu, which was completed only on 15 November 2020, was found to have been damaged in several locations. 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. An investigation is underway to determine whether this vessel caused the damage and who may be responsible for said vessel.
“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,” stated the company.
The repair of the severed portions will require another round of procurement, awarding, scheduling of cable laying, all of which are also affected by prevailing quarantine restrictions in terms of cable shipping and availability of foreign experts. The actual cable laying is also subject to weather and tide conditions.
The MVIP, certified as an Energy Project of National Significance in 2018, was initially targeted for completion by December 2020 but was extended to December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine restrictions across the country. Upon completion, the MVIP will connect the Visayas and Mindanao grids through a high voltage direct current (HVDC) system with a 450 MegaWatt (MW) initial capacity. The project covers 184 circuit kilometers (ckm) of submarine cables and 526 ckm of overhead wires connecting Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte to Santander, Cebu.
NGCP is a Filipino-led, privately owned company in charge of operating, maintaining, and developing the country’s electricity transmission grid, led by majority shareholders Vice Chairman of the Board Henry Sy, Jr. and Co-Vice Chairman Robert Coyiuto, Jr.###