In a move aimed to improve power system efficiency and reliability, the Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Laneco) recently commissioned and energized its newly-built 10 MVA (megavolt-ampere) substation and 69 kVA (kilovolt-ampere) subtransmission line.
These new facilities were unveiled to the public in a ceremony held last October 27 at the Laneco Energy Center in Tubod, Lanao del Norte where National Electrification Administration (NEA) chief Edgardo Masongsong served as one of the honored guests.
Funded through NEA loans, the 18-kilometer 69 kV (kilovolt)subtransmission line and 10 MVA Tubod substation with supervisory control and data acquisition system are expected to help address power distribution issues in central Lanao del Norte.
“The commissioning and infusion into the Laneco system of this substation is a foot in the right direction.”
“The commissioning and infusion into the Laneco system of this substation is a foot in the right direction with the end in view of addressing reliability and other service delivery issues hounding electric cooperatives as demand for electricity has exponentially grown all over the country,” Masongsong said.
“This is simply going along the wave of the power industry evolution. We hope that, with these facilities added into the picture, the Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative will improve in their performance indicators and increase their competitiveness as an adaptation measure to the fast-changing industry environment,” the NEA chief added.
According to Laneco, the installation of the 10 MVA substation in Tubod “was the best option” to ease the load of the 5 MVA power transformer in Kapatagan substation.
Laneco Project Supervisor/Acting General Manager Sherwin Mañada added that this facility will also cater to the electricity needs of the ongoing Panguil Bay Bridge project, which will connect the provinces of Lanao delNorte and Misamis Occidental.
“We hope that, with these facilities added into the picture, the Lanao del Norte Electric Cooperative will improve in their performance indicators.”
The construction of the 10 MVA Tubod substation started in 2014 and was completed this year. The P33 million facility, which has been operational since September, has already helped reduce the cooperative’s system loss from 17.67 percent to 13.64 percent.
Two years later, Laneco started building the 69 kV subtransmission line (from Curvada, Kapatagan to Sagadan, Tubod) to address future load requirements. It was completed this year.
Classified as a mega large electric cooperative and rated “A” by the NEA based on the 2017 EC Overall Performance Assessment, Laneco distributes electricity to 19 municipalities across the province of Lanao del Norte.
