Power utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has recently completed and energized a new 115-kilovolt gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation at the Light Industry Science Park-2 (LISP2) in Calamba, Laguna. The power firm indicated that the project was pursued in collaboration with STMicroelectronics Inc. (STMI), a mammoth European company that is into semiconductor contract manufacturing and design operations in the country. Meralco emphasized that “the new substation will facilitate the upgrading of STMI’s electric service from 34.5 kV to 115 kV and accommodate its growing demand.” By the utility company’s estimate, the electricity demand expansion to be catered to by the new substation will significantly rise to 20 megawatts by 2027, and that will be coming from a relatively lean base of 1.4MW last year. Apart from the new substation, the project similarly integrates the recently commissioned 115kV Las Mesa switching station, which is also sited at LISP-2. According to Meralco, the project “will improve the system reliability and power quality in the area,” – and the installation consists of a gas circuit breaker, three sets of disconnect switches, and standard connection and metering facilities for the Philippine office of STMI. Meralco First Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Ferdinand O. Geluz specified that the new substation venture was a result of close collaboration with customers in ascertaining and directly addressing their array of energy service requirements. “Through our dedicated relationship management teams, Meralco works hand-in-hand with its enterprise customers to identify and tailor-fit solutions that will ensure reliable power for their operational requirements,” the power firm executive stressed. For his part, STMI Vice President and General Manager Yong Suk Kwon highlighted that “these projects are expected to address not only the limited power supply of ST Calamba, which is one of our highest operational risks, but also our future power supply demand, our power quality, our carbon neutrality strategy, and will definitely improve our site power resilience,” Additionally, Meralco Senior Vice President and Head of Networks Ronnie L. Aperocho stated that their sustained efforts on meeting the needs of industrial customers form part of the company’s “commitment to contribute to improving the country’s infrastructure and ensuring energy security which fall under the government’s socio-economic agenda.” He primarily noted that the new STMI substation along with the La Mesa switching station had been “designed to support the growing power requirements of STMI’s Philippine office through the delivery of safe, adequate, reliable, and high-quality electricity service.”