THE National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) has awarded more than $10 million contract to Chinese firm Zhejiang Electric Transmission and Transformation Engineering Corporation to build the 230-kV Transmission Line Project in Laguna.

Zhejiang won the competitive public bidding for the said steel pole, double-circuit, 18.2 kilometer-long transmission line, the last component of the Batangas Transmission Reinforcement Project (BTRP).

The constructions of BTRP will enable the efficient transmission of bulk power from the more environment-friendly geothermal and natural gas plants in Southern Luzon to the rest of the Luzon grid.

TransCo in a statement release Tuesday said the $10.7 million or P450 million Calamba transmission line project will be funded partly through a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) amounting to P137 million.

Based on the contract, the project will involve putting up higher capacity lines, building new substations, and boosting the capability of associated substations to handle bigger loads as well as handle the supply and delivery of transmission lines hardware materials.

TransCo has been aggressively pursuing the completion of the entire BTRP project to boost the capacity of Southern Luzon substations and transmission lines that will deliver the steady supply of electricity to end-users in Metro Manila, Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon, TransCo added.

Aside from the line connecting Tower No. 50 to the Biñan Substation, BTRP’s other components include the upgrade and expansion of the Batangas and Biñan substations, construction of the new

Makban substation and the 230-kV lines connecting the San Lorenzo switchyard to the Batangas substation; the Batangas substation to the Makban A switchyard; and the Makban A switchyard to the Calamba Tower No. 50.

The Batangas Substation upgrade was completed in 2005 while the new Makban switchyard is expected to be completed by December and the Biñan substation by 2008.

As for the line components, the San Lorenzo-Batangas line has been energized in 2005 while the other two lines are expected to be completed within the year.

Contract period of 300 calendar days will commence on the contract effectivity date which is subject to the following conditions: signing of the contract, receipt of the contractor of the "notice to proceed", opening of the irrevocable letter of credit, and the issuance of the commitment letter by ADB. (Marie Neri)  uuu