ILOILO CITY—Iloilo City has a power infrastructure capable of supporting significant new investment, according to a presentation by MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) to a key group of the country’s top business leaders.
Roel Castro, President and CEO of MORE Power, addressed the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) at its membership meeting on August 29, outlining a compelling economic and electrical resurgence journey. His central message was readiness and confidence, assuring potential investors that the city’s power grid is stable and has substantial excess capacity to fuel future growth.
Castro pointed to a sustained upward trajectory in Iloilo's economy, noting a cumulative increase since 2015 with only a temporary dip during the pandemic. With modest year-on-year growth projections of 2-3%, the foundation for expansion is solid.
“We came in in 2020, and our growth in electricity demand has been increasing,” Castro stated, highlighting a key indicator of economic activity. The utility has seen its customer base nearly double in five years, from 62,000 accounts in 2020 to approximately 115,000 today.
This rapid growth necessitated a monumental catch-up effort in infrastructure. Castro acknowledged that the company inherited a system that was "a bit behind," forcing an aggressive five-year investment program in critical assets like substations.
"After this year, we will be ahead of the curve," Castro declared. "This means that Iloilo's electricity or power infrastructure will already be above the curve, which means that Iloilo will be ready for investment. We would be confident and not be afraid of any investment that would come, and that would require power."
He quantified this readiness, revealing that the system has about 36% spare capacity available to absorb new industrial, commercial, and residential demand without requiring immediate new large-scale construction.
The presentation also detailed dramatic improvements in service quality and efficiency. System loss—a critical metric for utility performance and cost efficiency—has been slashed from a high of 30% to an impressive 4.75%. Furthermore, the frequency of power interruptions has plummeted from 18 times per year to less than one, providing businesses with the reliability required for modern operations.
These upgrades are supported by a fully operational Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system across the franchise area, which enables real-time grid monitoring and control. The utility is also poised to enter the next phase of modernization with the rollout of automated metering.
"This is to show you that we are at least ready for the next five years," Castro concluded, directly addressing the MAP members. "We welcome all of you, as investors, to Iloilo City."
The Management Association of the Philippines is a premier, non-profit organization composed of top and senior executives from a broad cross-section of the largest and most respected companies in the country. For over seven decades, MAP has been at the forefront of shaping Philippine business policy and promoting management excellence. Its membership meetings, which feature key government and private sector leaders, serve as a vital platform for discourse on critical national issues and economic development, making it an ideal audience for a message on Iloilo’s investment readiness.