Hermosa–Duhat–Balintawak Transmission Line


The Hermosa–Duhat–Balintawak Transmission Line is a 230,000 volt, single-circuit, two-part transmission line in Metro Manila and Central Luzon, Philippines that connects Hermosa and Balintawak substations of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, with line segment termination at Manila Electric Company Duhat substation in Duhat, Bocaue, Bulacan.

Route description

The Hermosa–Duhat–Balintawak Transmission Line began construction in September 1993 and went into service in June 1994. Originally commissioned by the government-owned National Power Corporation, it is now operated and maintained by privately-owned National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. Prior to the completion of the line's cut-in connection to Meralco Duhat substation, it was a one-part power line and had direct tap connection. It originally had a length of 91 km from 1994 to November 16, 2009. The line was extended to 91.59 km upon the completion of its cut-in connection to Duhat substation on November 2009 and then reduced to 87.54 km when its San Simon–Pulilan segment was relocated along North Luzon Expressway in March 2011.
The transmission line passes through the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, and Valenzuela in Metro Manila, Meycauayan and Malolos in Bulacan, and San Fernando in Pampanga and municipalities of Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Pulilan, and Calumpit in Bulacan, Apalit, San Simon, Santo Tomas, Bacolor, Guagua, and Lubao in Pampanga, and Hermosa in Bataan.

Hermosa–Duhat

The transmission line starts at Hermosa Substation and parallels with the Jose Abad Santos Avenue until San Fernando Exit of NLEx. Upon passing the Bataan–Pampanga welcome arch, it enters Pampanga and continues straightforward. The line intersects with Hermosa–Guagua in Lubao, Mexico–Hermosa in Lubao, Guagua, Bacolor, and San Fernando, and Hermosa–San Jose lines in Guagua while running parallel with the said avenue. Upon approaching Santa Barbara Bridge, it will utilize the eastern side of the avenue. The power line then passes through lahar-filled Bacolor and enters San Fernando upon passing the city's welcome arch. After Villa del Sol in Magliman, San Fernando, the line again utilizes the western side of the road. It then passes through Lazatin and Dolores Flyovers and various establishments within San Fernando, and enters the western side of NLEx, where it runs parallel to it until Smart Connect Interchange.
After entering NLEx, it intersects with Mexico–Hermosa line for a fifth and final time. It continues on a straight route, intersecting with Mexico–Balintawak and Mexico–Calumpit lines in Santo Tomas, and passes through San Simon Exit. The line then continues on a straight direction, runs parallel with Candaba Viaduct where it passes through Pampanga River and ricefields located within Apalit, Calumpit, and Pulilan, and enters Bulacan after passing a billboard located near steel pole 271. It passes through Pulilan Exit and continues straightforward. The power line intersects with Hermosa–San Jose in Plaridel and Mexico–Balintawak lines in Guiguinto for the second time, passes into Balagtas Interchange, Bigaa and Santa Maria Rivers, Bocaue Exit, Bocaue Toll Plaza, and Ciudad de Victoria Interchange. In the future, the line will intersect with Hermosa–San Jose 500,000-volt line. It turns left into Meralco Duhat Substation a few meters after passing Ciudad de Victoria interchange, where the line's Hermosa–Duhat section ends.

Duhat–Balintawak

The line turns left upon entering NLEx and continues on a straight direction. A few meters after crossing Meycauayan River, it enters Metro Manila. It then utilizes the eastern side of NLEx after steel pole 488, leaves the expressway at Smart Connect Interchange, passes through residential areas, establishments, and institutions located within Caloocan and Quezon City, and crosses into Quirino Highway before the transmission line ends at Balintawak Substation, after crossing F. Carlos St.

Statistics

The transmission line originally had 504 steel poles, 11 lattice towers, and 12 portal towers totaling to 527 structures when it was first commissioned in June 1994.
Before the Lahar-Affected Relocation and Hermosa-Balintawak Relocation projects in 2003 and 2011, respectively, it had:
As of March 2011, the transmission line consists of:
Overall, it has 506 transmission structures, with the line's Hermosa–Duhat segment consists of 415 structures while Duhat–Balintawak has 91 structures.
By province, the line has 4 structures in Bataan, 271 in Pampanga, 7 lattice towers, 6 portal towers, and 1 concrete pole ), 181 in Bulacan, and 50 in Metro Manila and 6 lattice towers ).

Expansion and improvements

To protect the transmission line structures from corrosion, several steel poles, lattice towers, and portal towers are being painted with aluminum paint. Some of the structures were painted before the painting of steel poles was started. Painting of the transmission line's steel poles began in 2015. As of 2019, the line has 382 structures that were painted with aluminum paint, 11 lattice towers.
TransCo relocated its Santa Barbara Bridge–Villa del Sol segment through the Lahar-Affected Transmission Line Relocation project, using 30 replacement steel poles. It was completed in April 2003.
In 2007, 3 steel poles were relocated due to the construction of Dulalia Overpass using 2 existing steel poles and 1 replacement steel pole. NAPOCOR-era steel pole 474 which is a suspension tower and has triangle tower design, however, was retired.
The cut-in connection to Meralco Duhat substation was constructed to avoid line overloading and maintain N-1 contingency. It was completed on November 16, 2009. This cut-in connection to the said substation divides the transmission line into two segments and because of this, the line is now referred to as Hermosa–Duhat from Hermosa Substation to Duhat Substation and Duhat–Balintawak from Duhat Substation to Balintawak Substation.
In 2010, 3 replacement and higher steel poles were used due to the construction of Plaridel Bypass Road, with NAPOCOR-era steel poles 381 and 382 which are both anchor towers and have flag tower design were reused as part of Hermosa-San Jose line while pole 383 was retired.
On March 25, 2011, the Hermosa-Balintawak Transmission Line Relocation project was completed. It involved the relocation of its San Simon–Pulilan segment along NLEx using 58 steel poles and 4 lattice towers. Relocation works along the said transmission line segment started in the first quarter of 2010 with the construction and installation of 45 replacement steel poles and 2 lattice towers for the transmission project mentioned before. Removal of 84 NAPOCOR-era steel poles and 2 lattice towers as well as the retirement of 70 out of 84 steel poles that were located along MacArthur Highway from San Simon, Pampanga to Caltex in Calumpit, Bulacan and Pulilan Regional Road from Calumpit to Pulilan Exit in Pulilan, however, was completed in June 2011, 3 months after the completion and energization of the relocated San Simon–Pulilan section of the transmission line.
One steel pole that was located near Dolores Flyover was relocated at the edge of Jose Abad Santos Avenue while the relocation of the transmission line's San Simon–Pulilan section was ongoing using NAPOCOR-era steel pole 275 which was originally located along MacArthur Highway in Calumpit and now serves as the line's steel pole 167 since 2011, while pole 167 itself was retired.
Currently, the San Fernando segment of the line is undergoing relocation through the Relocation of Hermosa–Duhat Transmission Line project to alleviate heavy traffic along Jose Abad Santos Avenue due to the presence of its electric poles standing on the highway itself, and to pave the way for the expansion of some segments of the avenue, particularly at Barangay Dolores. This is the third time where relocation works along the line's San Fernando section is made, after the Lahar-Affected Transmission Line Relocation project in 2003 and the relocation of steel pole 167 at the edge of Jose Abad Santos Avenue using NAPOCOR-era steel pole 275 in 2011.

Controversy

The planned realignment of the transmission line's San Fernando segment along Jose Abad Santos Avenue was met with opposition from businessmen and residents. Fernandino Jasa stakeholders, a group composed of owners of different businesses and residents of Villa Barosa Subdivision, expressed their concerns over the potential risks and hazards on their health and properties if such relocation is implemented. One such risk is the probability of the lines being cut and swung towards buildings during natural calamities like earthquakes and typhoons, endangering human lives and properties. Levy Laus, chairman of the Laus Group of Companies, pointed out the negative impacts of the transmission line to the aesthetics of the city and the potential development of highrises and skyscrapers along the avenue. Several residents also took note of the lack of coordination between them and the NGCP. Laus suggested that steel poles be instead relocated in less-populated areas like open areas or paddy fields.