Davao Light lines up new substation project

By MYRNA M. VELASCO

Aboitiz-led Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. (Davao Light) will be pursuing the construction of a new 33-megavolt ampere (MVA) power substation so it can meet load growth spurred by increasing demand of its service area in Davao due to brisk economic activities and incessantly rising consumption of its customers.

The new substation, to be sited in Panabo City, will boost of ‘digital features’ so it can become a more efficient facility that Davao Light can lean on when it comes to improving its services to consumers within its franchise’s domain.

“This new digital substation is Davao Light’s fourth facility in Panabo. It has a higher capacity of 33 MVA, more than three times that of the existing substation in Caganguhan, and can be remotely monitored and controlled enabling faster and safer troubleshooting,” the company said.

The first substation installed by Davao Light had been way back in 1994 – spanning from

Panabo City and the municipalities of Carmen, Dujali, and Sto. Tomas – and so far, that had been underpinning the distribution of over 20 megawatts of power capacity to at least 25,000 customers.

Davao Light specified that as economic progress and development relentlessly gained traction in several municipalities within its service area; “power demand increased to 75MW and the distribution utility now serves over 86,000 customers.”

As noted by Rodger S. Velasco, president and chief operating officer of Davao Light, the company will “continue to invest in the latest technologies to align with the international standards of power distribution.”

With such reinforcement in technology deployment, he emphasized that the company would be able to supply reliable electricity and remain a steadfast partner in the progress of the communities we serve.”

Davao Light explained that “a substation is a key component within a power distribution system that transforms electricity voltage so it can be safely and efficiently used by residential, commercial, and industrial consumers.”

The power firm highlighted that the new Panabo substation would be able to “restore electricity in case of emergency outages in nearby areas by remotely switching from one power source to another.

Davao Light stated that as power demand expands and as more consumers opt for service enhancements, the company will continually “upgrade its existing substations with the use of new technology to provide the needed power capacity in its franchise area and deliver world-class service to its customers.”

Moving forward, it was indicated that competitive playing fields in the power sector will just no longer be focused on which company provides services at more affordable rates; but which utility or service provider could also extend more reliable and efficient services to customers.