MORE Power invests P115 million to improve power services

Engr. Bernard Bailey Del Castillo (front), vice president for Network Development and Operations group of MORE Electric and Power Corp., during a media briefing in Iloilo City. (Photo by Jordeene B. Lagare)

ILOILO CITY — MORE Electric and Power Corp., the power distributor business of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., has invested P115 million to complete a modern system designed to improve power services in its franchise area.

MORE Power president and CEO Roel Roel Castro said on Tuesday the multi-million project involves the supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) system, which serves as the heart of its entire power system, as well as fiber optics and point-to-point connection.

Castro also said that by implementing the Scada system, which was unveiled in February this year, they would know how customers are affected for every round of interruption.

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MORE Power explained its centralized Scada system is the key feature of the control center capable of operating and monitoring operations in real-time not only in Iloilo and Panay but also in areas where the entity will be operating in the future. This allows the control center to respond to any issues within seconds.

“In layman’s terms, you can monitor and control the substations remotely and gather data for analysis,” Castro said.

The Scada system, which serves as the “brain” of the company’s distribution system, is a combination of software, hardware and intelligent programming that enables them to monitor, control, record data and forecast supply and demand situation.

This system allows a power distributor to control circuit breakers and switch all substations remotely without a manual intervention in these facilities. That way, the personnel can be reassigned to more critical roles.

Likewise, the Scada system records and consolidates data and subsequently generates a simplified report to apprise operators of the power system’s current state.

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Other features include instantaneous fault detection to resolve issues in the power system and a 24/7 helpline to address complaints more efficiently.

“We will make use of the best technologies to assure our customers of the benefits, because we at MORE Power recognize that a city that is rapidly-developing cannot run anymore on a distribution system with conventional, manual methods,” it added.

MORE Power, a subsidiary of Razon-led Prime Strategic Holdings Inc., has a 25-year legislative franchise to deliver electricity services in Iloilo City by virtue of Republic Act No. 11212. It will lapse in 2044.
At present, MORE Power has 96,705 active customers.