Upgraded Molo Substation Boosts City’s Power Distribution

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By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) has energized the rehabilitated Molo Substation, significantly enhancing the stability and reliability of electricity distribution in nearby districts.

The substation, which became fully operational on Oct. 6, now has a load capacity of 25/30 MegaVolt Amperes (MVA) and serves a total of 26,081 customers.

“This upgrade will allow MORE Power to better manage electricity distribution and respond quickly to changes in demand,” said MORE Power president and chief executive officer Roel Castro during a press conference on Thursday, Oct. 10.

Castro noted that the rehabilitation of the Molo Substation is one of the final stages in MORE Power’s five-year development plan to significantly improve Iloilo City’s electricity distribution system.

“This is part of our promise to increase the reliability and quality of power in the franchise area,” he added.

The substation’s rehabilitation, which began on July 5, 2023, addressed 23 years of operation without proper maintenance, which had led to frequent equipment malfunctions.

The upgrade involved replacing outdated and unreliable equipment, including the control system and switchyard, making the substation more reliable and automated.

During the rehabilitation period, MORE Power deployed a 30/36 MVA Mobile Substation to ensure a continuous electricity supply across its franchise areas.

MORE Power’s project management and development head, Armil Logarta, said that, aside from meeting the increasing demand for electricity, the Molo substation upgrade extends the transformer’s lifespan and enhances its performance using advanced technology.

The upgraded facility now features a reconfigured in-out system, which significantly reduces the risk of outages, especially during peak demand.

Logarta explained that the in-out system allows for flexibility, enabling power to be easily rerouted through the centralized SCADA system in Mandurriao district if a transmission line segment encounters a fault.

With the Molo Substation fully operational, the mobile substation will be relocated to the Mandurriao Substation for temporary use while it undergoes its own rehabilitation starting this October.

Despite the improvements, Castro acknowledged that power outages might still occur but assured that fewer consumers would be affected.

“Brownouts will still happen. We can’t fully prevent them, but one thing is for sure: if outages occur, they will no longer affect thousands of people,” he said.

Castro also revealed plans to establish another substation in the Arevalo district to accommodate the growing residential electricity demand.

“We observed growing residential demand in Molo. We’ve prepared an area in Arevalo to set up another substation, which will allow us to transfer some of the load from Molo to Arevalo,” he said.

This will give the Molo Substation more capacity to handle additional demand as nearly half of the load will be shifted to Arevalo.