Holiday surge to push city’s power demand to 135 MW

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City’s peak power demand is expected to reach 135 megawatts (MW) this December, prompting MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) to urge consumers to practice energy conservation amid the holiday surge.

Engr. John Dave Jabatan, assistant manager for planning and design at MORE Power, said last December’s peak demand was 130 MW.

This year’s 5 MW increase is roughly equivalent to the output of a small diesel power plant.

“The more people cooperate, the more people ensure that during system outage we can run our flexibility and contingency schemes if our system is not overloaded,” Jabatan said in a Dec. 5 press conference.

He explained that household energy conservation not only reduces strain on the grid but also optimizes system performance and eases pressure on MORE Power’s distribution network.

The utility’s annual peak demand typically occurs in summer, when load peaked at 145 MW between May and June.

Demand then tapers off during the -ber months before rising again in December due to increased holiday activities.

As of the first week of December, MORE Power’s Iloilo substations were operating at 117 MW—equivalent to 52% utilization.

This is expected to rise to 135 MW or 66% by Christmas.

However, Jabatan cautioned that the seemingly modest 66% figure should not lead to complacency, as power systems require reserve margins to handle emergencies like equipment failures or sudden outages.

“This should not be a reason for us to be complacent since it is just 66%,” he said.

“The reason why we want that the supply and demand margin increases is because of the contingencies.”

He added that pushing utilization to 80% or 90% leaves little room for unexpected issues, such as a substation or line outage, which could result in overloads, blackouts, or difficulty rerouting power.

“The wise use of electricity also contributes to the overall system reliability,” Jabatan said.

“If our system is not overloaded, we have room for contingencies like transferring loads to another substation or feeder during emergencies.”

MORE Power assured the public that contingency measures are in place to maintain uninterrupted service during the holiday season.

Jabatan noted that substation capacities have already been optimized.

He added that MORE Power’s feeders include tie-up links, allowing power to be transferred from affected feeders to stable ones during faults or outages—enhancing system reliability and avoiding widespread disruptions.