NEARLY 12,000 power consumers in Iloilo City’s Arevalo district are now enjoying improved electricity service following the recent energization of the 10/12 megavolt-amperes (MVA) Arevalo Mobile Substation (AMS) by MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), the city’s sole power distribution utility.
With the AMS located in Barangay So-oc, Arevalo, residents of the district can now expect more stable voltage, enhanced service reliability, and fewer scheduled power interruptions.
According to Engineer Armil Logarta, MORE Power’s Assistant Vice President for Project Development and Management, the energization of the substation significantly improves power quality in Arevalo, which sits at the outer edge of the company’s distribution network.
“This is to address low voltage issues and to de-load the Molo and Megaworld substations, giving them breathing room to accommodate additional demand,” Logarta explained.
MORE Power Chief Operating Officer Engr. Joe-Mel Zaporteza added that the mobile substation is equipped with a state-of-the-art Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, fully integrated with the company’s distribution control system.
In simpler terms, this allows MORE Power to remotely and instantly reroute electricity from substations such as Molo and Megaworld to Arevalo, whenever needed.
This advanced capability boosts reliability by enabling faster service restoration, improved load balancing, and smarter network management for the benefit of all MORE Power consumers.
Additionally, it extends the operational life of transformers at the Molo and Megaworld substations by reducing their load, ensuring they perform efficiently. This also primes the entire system to handle future increases in demand, particularly in the fast-developing Sunset Boulevard area.
Although the Arevalo Mobile Substation is a temporary setup, it marks just the beginning. MORE Power is planning to construct a permanent and larger 30/36 MVA substation in the area to support the projected growth in electricity consumption.
Beyond Arevalo, the company is also eyeing the development of new substations in General Hughes and Banuyao, and the rehabilitation of the existing La Paz substation to further strengthen the city’s power infrastructure.
It’s worth noting that MORE Power has already invested nearly P2.5 billion in Iloilo City over the past five years, and is committing another P2 billion in the next five years to enhance its capacity to deliver dependable electricity to Ilonggos.
The energization of the Arevalo Mobile Substation, utilizing the 10/12.5 MVA Mobile Substation 1, is a game-changer for Iloilo City’s power reliability.
It directly addresses the pressing need to decongest the Megaworld and Molo substations, which have long been operating near capacity. The move will also significantly improve voltage quality in Arevalo, where power had to travel through long distribution lines—often resulting in voltage drops.
Shifting a large number of consumers to the Arevalo substation creates much-needed relief for Molo and Megaworld, allowing both to operate within safer and more efficient thresholds.
This strategic de-loading minimizes the risk of outages caused by overloading and enables the substations to support additional demands from new customers and upcoming developments.
On a broader scale, this move is part of a larger effort by Primelectric Holdings Inc., part of billionaire Enrique Razon’s power portfolio, to modernize and upgrade power systems across Iloilo, Central Negros, and Bohol.
Negros Power alone is investing P2 billion over five years, while MORE Power and Bohol Light are also allotting over P2 billion each for network upgrades.
These investments, coupled with lower spot market prices, have led to a nearly P2 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) reduction in electricity rates. For households consuming 200 kWh monthly, this translates to monthly savings of P110 to P150.
In fact, the Visayas currently enjoys the most significant rate cut—down 17.9% to just P3.71 per kWh—making it one of the most affordable electricity markets in the country.
As always, well played indeed./PN
