Davao Light’s ‘digital substation’ goes on stream

The Aboitiz group’s Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. has brought online a digital substation, which is equipped with a communications system in order to enable Mindanao’s biggest distributor to lessen or “even prevent” outages.

According to Aboitiz Power Corp., Davao Light’s parent firm, the facility located in Davao City’s Calinan district is also intended to cater to the increasing electricity demand in surrounding areas, thanks to its higher capacity.

AboitizPower said in a statement digitizing a substation was a big step in improving accuracy, efficiency, reliability and availability of power supply. The communications system allows for online monitoring and assessment, thus enabling early detection of possible technical problems, where immediate action can then be taken.

AboitizPower said such features would “significantly reduce, shorten and even prevent power outages” and the resulting disruption to consumers’ household affairs and businesses.Also, being accessible online would also minimize physical checking of the substation’s status and manual labor in restoring power, which is vital during the lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it added.

“The threat of the pandemic did not lessen the dedication and commitment of Davao Light in providing reliable power and quality service to its customers,” said Davao Light president and chief operating officer Rodger Velasco.

“We continued to push forward with this project despite the trying times because the Calinan substation will help us make sure to keep the lights on for our customers during this community quarantine period,” Velasco added.

AboitizPower, the platform for the Aboitiz group’s electricity-related investments, owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas across the country—such as the Visayan Electric Co. (Veco) based in Cebu.Veco and Davao Light are the biggest private utilities in the country after Manila Electric Co.