Meralco commissions new switching station in Laguna

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has started commissioning its new La Mesa 115-kilovolt (kV) switching station at the Light Industrial Science Park 2 in Laguna which is expected to improve the system reliability and power quality in the area.

The project, which was constructed for five months, involved the commissioning of a gas circuit breaker, three sets of disconnect switches, and standard connection and metering facilities for the Philippine office of STMicroelectronics Inc. (STMI), a European semiconductor contract manufacturing and design company.

The new switching station will facilitate the upgrading of STMI’s electric service to 115-kV from 34.5-kV and accommodate the projected increase in its demand to 13.5 megawatts (MW) this year, and 20 MW by 2027.

Meralco said the construction of the switching station was made possible by the collaboration of the One Meralco Group through MServ and MIESCOR.

MServ is one of the largest electrical, mechanical, fire protection, and plumbing contractors and energy service companies in the country, while MIESCOR is one of the country’s leading service providers of engineering, construction, and maintenance service.

“Meralco works hand-in-hand with its enterprise customers and offers them the best tailor-fit solutions to ensure reliable power for their business needs,” the power distributor said.

“Meralco and its subsidiaries are continuously working to improve its distribution system and deliver safe, adequate, and reliable power service to its customers as part of its commitment to keeping the lights on and powering a brighter tomorrow,” it said.

Meralco is the largest electric power distribution company and the biggest private sector utility in the country.

The company provides electric service within its franchise coverage and has a consolidated customer count of 7.6 million as of end-September 2022.

Its subsidiaries are engaged in engineering and consulting, construction, bills payments and other electricity-related services.