Some 26,081 accounts connected to the Molo substation are assured of reliable power supply with the energization of the newly rehabilitated 25/30 megavolt-amperes (MVA) substation of the More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power).

“Last weekend, we transferred the power from the mobile substation to the newly-rehabilitated substation. It’s truly a milestone for us in MORE Power and Iloilo. This is part of our promise of increasing reliability of the power as well as the quality of power in the franchise area,” MORE Power president and chief executive officer Roel Castro said in an interview on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Castro said the Molo substation was “sort of overloaded” when they took over five years ago.

The rehabilitation covered replacing outdated and unreliable equipment, including the control tower system, switchyard, and other significant devices.

It can be operated remotely from the control center unlike before when it operated in isolation and done manually.

The 23-year-old dilapidated transformer was refurbished to operate as new.

“When we assumed five years ago, our facilities were already full, already up to the brim. The power system should only be within about 70 percent capacity. But when we came in, it was already breaching 85 percent almost 90 percent,” he said.

The number of accounts represented 26 percent of the over 100,000 accounts served by MORE Power.

However, Castro said that since they are already seeing the growth of the demand in the Molo district, especially in residential areas, they have already prepared to establish another substation in the Arevalo district in the first quarter of 2025.

Gradually, around 53 percent of the total accounts will be transferred to the Arevalo substation.

“That way, this substation can have breathing space, can accept more demand, more load as we transfer almost half of the load to Arevalo,” Castro said.

Castro added they will start the rehabilitation of the Mandurriao substation in the first quarter of next year.

The power utility has already established substations in Megaworld and Diversion.

Castro said they are on the final stretch of the five-year development plan as he hoped their consumers felt the improvement of the electric service.Perla Lena/PNA