• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Electric and Power Corporation (Negros Power) broke ground on Wednesday, Sept. 9 for a P250-million digital substation at Megaworld’s The Upper East, marking a major step toward strengthening the power distribution system in Bacolod City.
Negros Power president and chief executive officer Roel Castro said the project is intended to increase distribution capacity in the rapidly developing business district and ensure that existing and future establishments will have sufficient power supply.
“This digital substation is a major investment in the future of Negros,” Castro said, noting that the facility will provide more reliable, efficient and resilient power while addressing growing electricity demand.
The project will rise on a 1,300-square meter property allocated by Megaworld under a usufruct arrangement.
Castro said the substation will initially have five outgoing feeders, with two dedicated to Megaworld and three available for other customers.
The facility is designed to accommodate additional feeders and another transformer as demand increases.
It will initially have a 30/37.5 MVA, 69/13.2 kV power transformer, with provisions for a second transformer in the future.
Five additional feeder bays are also planned for expansion.
The facility will incorporate digital monitoring and control systems designed to allow faster switching, protection and fault isolation, enabling Negros Power to respond more quickly to power system problems and maintenance requirements.
Castro said the substation is expected to be operational in about one and a half years.
He expressed optimism that the facility will help address the area’s electricity requirements for at least the next five years amid continued commercial and residential development.
The substation will also house a mobile substation, which Negros Power plans to transfer from Iloilo to Bacolod to provide additional contingency support, particularly for critical or aging substations.
Negros Power currently has 11 substations inherited from the Central Negros Electric Cooperative.
Castro said the company is also working to address the condition of older substations to prevent critical facilities from deteriorating further.
For the Capitol substation, he said Negros Power is waiting for power transformers that have already been procured. The shipment has been delayed in Dubai due to problems affecting the Strait of Hormuz, where fuel shipments have been prioritized.
Once the transformers arrive, Castro said the equipment will be ready for installation.
Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya, who attended the groundbreaking along with Vice Mayor Kalaw Puentevella and Megaworld representatives, lauded the partnership between Negros Power and the private sector.
Gasataya said the city has been pushing for closer cooperation among government, businesses and utility providers to address the challenges facing Bacolod.
“What happened this morning, we have been espousing since June 30. If we continue to work together, with what Megaworld and Negros Power did, we are in the right direction,” Gasataya said.
He added that the city understands the challenges confronting the power sector and assured that the city government will continue doing its part to support efforts aimed at providing reliable utilities for residents and businesses. | GPB
