To enhance energy capacity for the load network of its subsidiary Cotabato Light and Power Company in Mindanao, Aboitiz Power Corporation is pursuing an upgrade of its Malagapas substation in the service area of its power distribution firm.
The company said it is in the process of installing a new electrical equipment at the distribution utility – and a key component of that is the addition of a new 15-megavolt ampere (MVA) transformer.
“The upgrades allow for remote monitoring and operations, which is essential during the ongoing pandemic and is vital in keeping the lights on for the community,” the Aboitiz firm said.
Valentin S. Saludes III, president and chief operating officer of Cotabato Light, emphasized that the upgrade carried out in the utility firm’s network is part of their commitment “to better serve customers.”
He qualified that “the completion of the Malagapas substation’s additional capacity will better serve the future electric demand, while providing more reliable and continuous power to the Cotabato Light franchise area.”
Saludes indicated that integrated in the new equipment would be “state of the art remote monitoring and operating capabilities as well as protective devices.”
To the consumers of Cotabato Light, he noted that the facility upgrade “will mean fewer power outages and faster restoration times for customers,” while emphasizing that “this is Cotabato Light’s commitment to advancing business and communities.”
The upgrade kicked off in June this year and it is targeted for completion and energization before the end of the year, according to the Aboitiz firm.
Cotabato Light is the second power distribution company of the Aboitiz group in Mindanao; and the other is Davao Light and Power Company, which has been servicing the electricity requirements of economically burgeoning Davao City.
The group’s another power distribution network is in Visayas grid – through Visayan Electric Company (VECO), which is providing electricity services to the so-called Queen City of the South, another flourishing metropolis.
Beyond power distribution, the Aboitiz group’s main portfolio in the electricity sector is on power generation – wherein it has multiplicity of thermal assets as well as renewable energy (RE) installations.
In the next 10 years, the company said it is targeting to increase its new RE capacities, so it could attain a 50:50 balance on its power mix.