Iloilo Weekend Power Disruptions Set to Decrease
- July 5, 2024
MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), the electricity distributor in Iloilo City, announced a decrease in scheduled weekend power interruptions. Beginning July 2024, MORE Power will reduce the duration of scheduled power outages from the current 12-13 hours to just 8 hours.
Iloilo’s Energy Woes
The planned outages have been going on for months now, and come on the tail of a costly unscheduled power outage in January.
The scheduled power interruptions are part of an ongoing modernization and development initiative aimed at upgrading the electric power distribution system across Iloilo’s 180 villages. The infrastructure upgrade is now on its fifth year. The ultimate goal is to modernize the system by February 2025.
Engr. Bernard Bailey Del Castillo, Vice President of the Network Development and Operations Group, said, “We understand the inconvenience that our consumers have faced with 12-13 hour power interruptions almost every week. That’s why, starting in July 2024, we will shorten the duration of scheduled power interruptions.”
A Lengthy But Necessary Rehabilitation Project
MORE Power, established in 2020 after the signing of Republic Act No. 11212 by former President Rodrigo Duterte, was granted a 25-year franchise to distribute power in Iloilo City.
Del Castillo noted that when the company took over in Iloilo, MORE Power had inherited electrical infrastructure that were mostly defective or obsolete, and as such were in dire need of replacement. He emphasized that significant progress has already been made in the comprehensive rehabilitation project, even if it is proving to be a lengthy process.
“While we conduct preparatory work through live line methods without interruptions on weekdays, we need to have brownouts on weekends to replace old poles and finalize the setup to ensure the safety of our linemen,” he stated.
Gaining More Ground
Over the past four years, the power distributor has heavily invested in upgrading its infrastructure to enhance distribution services and support the city’s progress. Key projects include the installation of a 33 megavolt-amperes (MVA) Diversion Substation, a 30/36 MVA Megaworld Substation, and various mobile substations that serve as temporary backups during the overhaul of land-based substations.
MORE Power has already replaced and installed more than 7,000 poles, added 45 automatic circuit reclosers and 22 load break switches for immediate power restoration during faults, purchased modern testing equipment, and initiated an underground distribution system along Calle Real.
Between 2022 to June 2024, approximately 50 circuit kilometers of lines have been replaced and reconductored with tree wire, insulated primary lines designed to prevent power interruptions caused by animals and trees.
To ensure customers have sufficient time to prepare, Del Castillo says MORE Power will go beyond the Magna Carta for Residential Electricity Consumer’s 48-hour notification requirement by informing them 3 to 4 days in advance of any scheduled power interruptions. This extended notice period allows consumers ample time to plan their weekends accordingly.
He also pointed out that these scheduled power outages are not solely initiated by MORE Power but also include requests from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). MORE Power strives to align its maintenance activities with NGCP’s scheduled works, such as wood pole replacements and transmission line corrections, to maximize the efficiency of these power interruptions and minimize the impact on customers.
During weekend power interruptions, MORE Power has committed to providing affected customers with complimentary mobile charging and water.
