ABOITIZ-LED distribution utility firm Visayan Electric Co. is ramping up investments to strengthen Cebu’s power supply, completing two new substations this year and pushing ahead with a series of capacity expansion and reliability projects to meet rising demand across its franchise area.
At the Power Lunch on Monday, Sept. 22, 2025, Nico Arancillo, assistant vice president for engineering and technical support at Visayan Electric, said the utility energized two substations in 2025 — one in Cebu City and another in Carcar — adding a combined 66 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to the grid. These facilities are currently serving as temporary stations and will be expanded to 66 MVA each within the next two years.
To reinforce its network, the firm also completed earlier this year a 10-circuit kilometer transmission line to support Consolacion and Southport properties, while work is underway for the 12-circuit kilometer Naga–San Fernando line, set for commissioning alongside the new Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. substation.
Looking ahead, Arancillo said the Visayan Electric is targeting to add 561 MVA of new capacity over the next five years. Upcoming projects include the 66-MVA Lawaan substation, the Subangdaku substation and the expansion of the San Roque facility in Talisay City. By 2027, the company also expects to complete a new substation in Liloan and double the capacity of its Cebu substation from 100 MVA to 200 MVA.
Apart from building capacity, Visayan Electric is reinforcing reliability through a looped substation system, 80 circuit kilometers of additional sub-transmission lines and advanced technologies such as smart devices and Scada-enabled remote monitoring. It has also rolled out semi-insulated “tree wires” and intensified vegetation management to reduce service interruptions.
Visayan Electric is also expanding its underground distribution system, with sections completed along Osmeña Blvd. and Fuente Osmeña, and upcoming works planned for the South Road Properties.
Arancillo added that Visayan Electric is on a digital transformation drive, rolling out apps and platforms to streamline customer connections, billing and service agreements, alongside a pilot project for advanced metering infrastructure.
“Our commitment has always been to serve our community better,” Arancillo said. “By building capacity, strengthening reliability and embracing digital innovation, we aim to deliver smarter and more sustainable power for Cebu.” Legacy of Lights exhibit
Meanwhile, Visayan Electric also launched on Monday “Legacy of Lights” exhibit, which retraces its history from the first streetlight to today’s modern smart grid. The exhibit runs from Sept. 22-28 at the Ayala Center Cebu.
“For 120 years, Visayan Electric has been a partner in Cebu’s journey, delivering reliable, safe and reasonably priced electricity,” said Anton Mari Perdices, AboitizPower chief operating officer for Distribution Utilities.
Perdices noted that the company has consistently invested in system upgrades, reinforcing substations and deploying smart technologies to ensure families, hospitals, schools and businesses have a steady and modern supply of power.
Visayan Electric now serves more than half a million customers across its franchise area, which spans from San Fernando in the south to Consolacion in the north.
Each expansion, Perdices said, tells the story of how communities and the utility have grown together.
The “Legacy of Lights” exhibit serves as a prelude to an upcoming coffee table book that will capture the company’s history in greater depth, chronicling how its work has been intertwined with Cebu’s transformation over generations.
Perdices also underscored the company’s corporate social responsibility programs, which include rewiring classrooms, providing scholarships, supporting women’s livelihoods, promoting digital inclusion, restoring watersheds and aiding communities in times of crisis.
“Our legacy is not measured only in poles and wires. It is measured in lives touched. Beyond energizing homes and industries, we empower dreams, build resilience and fuel Cebu’s development,” he said. / KOC