Iloilo City: Nearly 12,000 power consumers in the city's Arevalo district can now expect improved service and fewer scheduled power interruptions following the energization of the 10/12 megavolt-amperes (MVA) Arevalo mobile substation (AMS) on Friday. Engineer Armil Logarta, Assistant Vice President for Project Development and Management of More Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power), said the newly energized substation will enhance power quality in Arevalo, which sits at the far end of the company's distribution network.

According to Philippines News Agency, Engineer Armil Logarta noted that the substation aims to address low voltage issues and alleviate the load on the Molo and Megaworld substations, thereby enabling them to accommodate additional demand. During a press conference, MORE Power's chief operating officer, Engineer Joe-Mel Zaporteza, highlighted that the substation is equipped with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, fully integrated with the diversion control system, allowing distribution utilities to control equipment from the system control for a faster response.

The AMS is a temporary solution, as the power firm plans to establish a larger substation with a 30/36 MVA capacity to meet potential increased demand due to the opening of Sunset Boulevard. Additionally, the company is considering new substations in General Hughes and Banuyao, and the rehabilitation of the existing La Paz substation.

Zaporteza mentioned that in the past five years, approximately PHP2.5 billion was spent on improving capacity, and for the next five years, the company is committing another PHP2 billion for Iloilo City alone. He assured that there would be no adjustments in the distribution charge since the movement is primarily due to generation changes.