6-billion Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project of the National Grid Power Corporation by early 2021 that will connect the country to a single national power grid.
The interconnection of Mindanao via Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte with Visayas via Cebu through a submarine cable would provide “a signal for investors to look at the Borneo-Mindanao interconnection,” he said.
“That is also the direction for Borneo-Mindanao interconnection via Sabah, we shall be connected by submarine cable in the near future, so that we have an opportunity to probably source out cheaper electricity from across border,” he added.
Citing a previous study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Montenegro said Mindanao was too small a market to be interconnected with Borneo, Malaysia but that a single national grid makes the Philippines more viable for electricity market.
“At that time, it hasn’t seen the viability yet because of Mindanao being too small a market to warrant the financial viability of connecting Borneo and Mindanao. Once Mindanao is connected to Visayas and Luzon, that expands the market, that renders the financial viability of such interconnection,” he said.
He said some proponents are pushing ADB to update its study for this “ambitious project,” which is part of the interconnectivity goal of the ASEAN Power Grid to transition member economies to “a power market-operated regime.
“Half of the ASEAN member countries are already interconnected,” he said.
He added the country could source cheaper hydropower in Sarawak state, Borneo.
He said the Philippines can sell excess power to its ASEAN neighbors, “but, for now, since they are cheaper it’s more of us importing electricity.
