More Electric and Power Corporation commissioned Iloilo City’s first fully unmanned substation on May 11, 2026, the first facility of its kind in Western Visayas, deploying SCADA-based remote control and Intelligent Electronic Devices as part of the utility’s five-year grid modernization program. The development marks a shift from aging, manually supervised infrastructure that MORE Power inherited when it assumed the Iloilo City franchise in 2020.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Substation capacity: 30 megavolt-amperes
- Location: Iloilo City, sole franchise territory of MORE Electric and Power Corporation
- Control method: fully remote, via Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system linked to MORE Power’s centralized control center
- Monitoring technology: Intelligent Electronic Devices providing real-time visibility of load flow, voltage levels, and equipment health
- Operational feature: automated fault detection capable of isolating issues and restoring power within seconds
- Grid context: the first unmanned substation in Western Visayas (Region 6); Meralco and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines have operated comparable unmanned facilities elsewhere
- Current substation portfolio: MORE Power operates eight substations with a combined capacity of 252.2 MVA, with one additional substation targeted for completion in 2026
- Corporate ownership: MORE Electric and Power Corporation is a subsidiary of Prime Strategic Holdings, Inc., controlled by Enrique Razon
MORE Electric and Power Corporation announced on May 11, 2026, the commissioning of a 30 megavolt-ampere fully unmanned substation in Iloilo City, marking the first facility of its type in Western Visayas and the latest step in the distribution utility’s multi-year grid modernization program. The substation is operated entirely from MORE Power’s centralized control center via a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, with no requirement for on-site personnel during routine operations.
Technology And Operational Capability
The facility integrates Intelligent Electronic Devices that provide real-time monitoring of load flow, voltage levels, and equipment health. According to MORE Power, automated fault detection allows the system to isolate faults and restore power within seconds without human intervention on-site. The company described the SCADA architecture as functioning as a digital control layer for the grid, enabling predictive maintenance scheduling and data-driven load forecasting to reduce the risk of overloads.
System Planning and Design Manager Wilmar Gonzaludo attributed the deployment to sustained preparatory work rather than an accelerated rollout. Substation project manager Mark Anthony Molano noted that SCADA and automation are already in use at other Philippine utilities, framing the Iloilo rollout as a convergence of available technology with local grid readiness.
MORE Power has confirmed that physical security remains in place at the facility, with guards stationed at the substation despite its remote operational capability.
Context: From Inherited Deficiency To Automated Grid
When MORE Power assumed the Iloilo City electricity distribution franchise from Panay Electric Company in 2020, it inherited a substation network that the company described as nearly overloaded, frequently faulted, and in several cases not upgraded for up to three decades. The utility has since progressively rebuilt its distribution infrastructure, addressing substations, primary distribution lines, aging poles, system losses, and unauthorized connections across the franchise area.
The unmanned substation is a component of MORE Power’s five-year development plan, which prioritizes the expansion of SCADA systems and Intelligent Electronic Devices across its network. The company currently operates eight substations with a combined capacity of 252.2 MVA and has one additional substation targeted for completion within 2026, focused on expansion areas including Santa Barbara and San Miguel in the second and fourth congressional districts of Iloilo.
Broader Digital Strategy
Alongside the substation commissioning, MORE Power has been deploying AI-powered analytics across its network and advancing the rollout of smart meters under an Advanced Metering Infrastructure program. The AI analytics layer is intended to identify network anomalies and accelerate response to service interruptions. The utility’s president and chief executive officer Roel Castro has described the digital strategy as preparation for a tighter regulatory environment and as a longer-term hedge against labor inefficiency by redirecting workforce resources from routine monitoring to complex maintenance operations.
The Philippine Inquirer reported that Meralco and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines have previously modernized operations with unmanned substations, placing MORE Power’s deployment in an industry context where the technology is established at the national utility level but remains newer at the provincial distribution tier.
Grid Vulnerability Note
The Visayas grid, within which Iloilo City’s local distribution network operates, has been identified by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities as carrying the highest supply risk of the three major Philippine grids in the second quarter of 2026, with negative operating margins in local generation making the region dependent on inter-island power imports from Luzon and Mindanao. Grid automation at the distribution level, including faster fault isolation, is one operational response to managing reliability under these structural conditions.