More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) is increasing its capacity this year with the addition of a new 30 megavolt ampere (MVA) substation in the Mandurriao district.
MORE Power President and Chief Operating Officer Roel Z. Castro said that the new substation will boost the developments in the area, especially within the Iloilo Business Park (IBP) of Megaworld Corporation.
“We are in the midst of constructing another 30MVA substation in the Megaworld area. If we look at the area, there are 3 new buildings that are under construction. That’s aside from the fact that Saint Honore (one of the residential towers in IBP) and another condo will be energized this year,” Castro said.
He added that the substation can still be expanded if the power demand in the area increases further. “Actually it will be good for 60MVA, pero inuna lang naton ang first phase which is the 30MVA. So if the expansion in the area will be doubled, we have the capability to serve it already,” he said. “It should be ready around September this year.”
In November 2020, MORE Power acquired a 10MVA mobile substation and installed it in the Megaworld IBP area. It decongested the overloaded Mandurriao Substation whose usage has gone beyond safe levels at that time.
The company has also completed the uprating of City Proper proper substation with the replacement of decades-old 20MVA transformer to a bigger, more modern 33MVA power transformer.
Aside from the transformer, MORE Power also upgraded the analog, manual control panel of the City Proper Substation into an automated, Remote Control Cabinet (RCC) which is ready for the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system.
This is part of the efforts of the firm to digitalize and modernize the distribution system, Castro added.
Overall, by end the of the year, Iloilo city would have a total capacity of around 193MVA. “Meaning we have an additional 43 MVA capacity or around 40% increase for this year. That should make our system at substation level more manageable and with breathing space,” Castro said.
Aside from that, Castro revealed that another 30MVA mobile substation is coming which will further increase their capacity.
“We ordered a 30MVA mobile substation approved by the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) para habang ginagawa ang isang substation, doon i-transfer. We cannot afford one substation ang mag-down.” Castro said.
₱1 Billion investment this 2022
This year, MORE Power allocated ₱1 Billion for the development of Megaworld Substation, purchase of 30 MVA Mobile Substation, development of City Proper substation, improvement and upgrading of other substations and subtransmission lines, construction of Control Center building and associated equipments and reconductoring of various distribution lines.
Castro said that the modernization efforts of MORE Power are aimed at addressing systems loss factors, illegal connections, and power interruptions; reducing overloading; providing a cheaper and safer electricity supply to consumers; and delivering efficient and reliable customer service.
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