Razon-led power utility boosts capacity in Iloilo

MANILA, Philippines — MORE Power and Electric Corp. has completed the first major component of its P1.8-billion modernization plan for Iloilo City’s electricity network, the company’s top shareholder said.

Port magnate Enrique Razon Jr., chairman and president of MORE Power’s parent firm Prime Strategic Holdings Inc., said during the energization recently of the 10-megavolt ampere (MVA) mobile substation at the Megaworld-owned Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao District that the project would jumpstart the upgrade of the city’s power distribution network to a world-class system.

“The 10-MVA mobile substation is not only a behemoth power-provider on wheels, it is also the answer to the ever-present danger of overloading of the Mandurriao substation,” he said.

MORE Power initiated the P50-million project to prevent overloading of its substations due to high demand, with the Mandurriao substation working at critical levels reaching up to 95 percent.

With the mobile substation, the Mandurriao substation is expected to perform at a safer 70 percent capacity.

“The mobile substation will increase the capacity of the Megaworld area – one of Iloilo’s fastest-growing areas – by six to eight megawatts. Moreover, it will decongest the Mandurriao substation, whose usage has gone beyond safe levels, and will result in fewer outages,” Razon said.

He added that the powering on of the mobile substation is the utility’s first major step toward doubling Iloilo City’s power capacity within the next five years.

“This, indeed, is a considerable investment on the part of MORE Power, but it is an investment needed to enable the utility to adapt to new challenges and maintain its system resiliency and reliability,” Razon pointed out.

Describing Iloilo City as one of the country’s leading destinations for investments with its robust economy, demographic growth, and resilient institutions focused on strengthening infrastructure and employment, Razon said the city is seen as an attractive destination for long-term investments and therefore requires sufficient supply of power and an equally efficient distribution system for economic development.

“We need to focus on further improving and modernizing the distribution system to energize the city’s economic growth and support the local government’s agenda to attract investments, drive up job creation, as well as improve the living conditions of its residents,” he said.

Razon also disclosed that MORE Power would allocate an additional P2 billion as emergency capital to further upgrade the distribution system.

“Within the next five years MORE Power will be embarking on a ‘stream of capacity expansion’ that will see the addition of a 30-MVA mobile substation, a new 50-MVA substation at another end of Iloilo Business Park, and new substations in Arevalo District and Diversion area as well as the expansion of the city proper and Jaro substations,” Razon said.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, meanwhile, said the 10-MVA substation would not only provide the Megaworld with a larger capacity to service its power needs, but also ‘breathing space’ for two substations: the Mandurriao substation and to some extent, the Molo substation.