NGCP Completes Critical Caticlan Power Line Rehab
- May 1
- 2 min read
The scheduled 12-hour power interruptions are over
By Jun N. Aguirre
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has reported completing its rehabilitation project for its Unidos–Caticlan 69-kiloVolt (kV) Line last February 13, 2026.
The project entailed the replacement of damaged underground cables in Boracay, requiring several 12-hour scheduled power interruptions, spread across the first quarter.
Reagan Alcantara, lead specialist of the Public Relations Department of the NGCP told the Boracay Sun News in an interview that they had completed the restoration works ahead of schedule due to the requests of Boracay stakeholders to fast-track it in time for the ASEAN Senior-Level Committee (SLC) meetings in Boracay from March 5 to 8.
It could be recalled that Boracay stakeholders and residents have clamored against both the NGCP and the Aklan Electric Cooperative (AKELCO) when a series of blackouts occurred in Malay and Buruanga towns in September 2025.
According to Alcantara, the outages were caused by the arcing in the 69kV subtransmission cables at the Caticlan Airport perimeter in Malay, aggravated by moisture intrusion and leakage in underground lines.
“Transmission services for AKELCO’s Caticlan and Boracay Substations have returned to their regular configuration following the successful connection and energization of the new Caticlan 69kV XLPE Underground Cable and the completed rehabilitation and reconductoring of the entire Unidos-Caticlan 69kV Line. The temporary bypass line installed to maintain services during rehabilitation has now been safely disconnected,” the NGCP said in a statement.
But despite this development, Alcantara said they could not ensure power reliability in Aklan, including Boracay.
“Power outage normally comes from different reasons and causes. We will deal with each outage on a case to case basis,” Alcantara added.
Editor’s note: While the 69kV line rehabilitation is finished, this is a temporary boost. The long-term solution, the Nabas-Caticlan-Boracay 138kV Interconnection Project, is still ongoing and targeted for completion in August 2026.
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