MANILA ELECTRIC CO. (Meralco) said it spent P1.9 billion in the second quarter to increase capacity by 450 megavolt-amperes (MVA) and upgrade substations and transmission lines in Metro Manila, Laguna, Quezon, Cavite, and Bulacan.
“These projects are part of Meralco’s broader network enhancement strategy, ensuring that our infrastructure is future-ready to meet growing energy demand while improving operational flexibility and service reliability,” Meralco First Vice-President and Head of Networks Froilan J. Savet said in a media release on Wednesday.
The company commissioned projects contributing a total of 450 MVA of additional capacity to support rising demand and improve service reliability in the cities of Makati, Pasig, Parañaque, and Quezon in Metro Manila, as well as in municipalities of Laguna and Quezon.
Among the capacity-addition projects is the ASEANA 115-kilovolt (kV)-34.5-kV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) Substation in Parañaque City, designed to support key economic hubs.
To enhance power supply reliability in central business districts of Metro Manila, Meralco said it expanded the Bridgetowne 115-kV-34.5-kV GIS and Makati 115-kV-34.5-kV GIS Substations.
The power distributor also said it increased the capacity of the Tayabas Power Transformer to 300 MVA from 100 MVA to support load growth in portions of Quezon and Laguna provinces.
Meralco added that it also increased the capacity of the Dila-Real 115-kV line, strengthening power reliability for customers in Laguna, including Calamba, Los Baños, Bay, Pila, and Calauan.
The company also energized key transmission lines in Bulacan, namely the Malolos-Tabang and Malolos-Calumpit 69-kV lines, to meet rising demand and to support the Department of Transportation’s flagship North-South Commuter Railway project.
Meralco launched its first fully indoor GIS switching station in Regalado, Quezon City. The project improves operational switching flexibility in portions of Quezon City and Caloocan City and boosts service reliability for critical facilities such as ST Telemedia Global Data Centers.
In Cavite, Meralco upgraded the Abubot Substation by installing three 115-kV circuit breakers and other associated equipment to support commercial and healthcare customers in Dasmariñas, General Trias, and Imus.
“These infrastructure investments reflect our unwavering commitment to power progress and ensure that our customers have access to reliable, sufficient, and high-quality electricity,” Mr. Savet said.
“As demand continues to grow, we will continue to upgrade and expand our facilities and strengthen our distribution network, which serves as the backbone of our efforts to support the country’s economic development,” he added.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera