MANILA, Philippines – The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has three upcoming projects aimed to improve power reliability at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In a statement on Monday, December 9, the utilities giant said it is working with San Miguel-led New NAIA Infra Corporation (NNIC) on the airport’s modernization, specifically, to help with its energy needs and to ensure power redundancy.

The plan includes building a 115-kilovolt (kV) to 24.5 kV gas insulated switchgear substation to power NAIA’s 4 terminals, which will complement the existing NAIA-3 substation that has two 83-megavolt-amperes (MVA) transformer banks and six 34.5 kV underground feeders.

“The conceptual design of the new substation has been completed, with construction starting in the third quarter of 2025 and full completion targeted for December 2026,” Meralco said.

Meralco will also create an underground power distribution network for the country’s biggest international gateway — with field surveys and data sharing slated for this month.

Meanwhile, Meralco subsidiary MSERV will introduce a 4900 Kilovolt-amps (KVA) uninterruptible power supply across six locations, including Terminal 3 and the airfield, within the airport compound.

“By enhancing power reliability for the new NAIA, we are going to help empower tourism and [the] travel industry, support economic growth and enrich the travel experience for countless travelers,” Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Manuel Pangilinan said.

“This will be a step towards NNIC’s goal of transforming our country’s vital gateway into a world-class facility. We look forward to fostering a long-term partnership with NNIC, under the exceptional leadership of Mr. Ramon S. Ang.”

NAIA had multiple episodes of major power disruptions prior to NNIC’s takeover last September — including an outage on Labor Day last year that left 9,000 passengers affected and when a faulty UPS left Philippine airspace paralyzed for hours on end on New Year’s day in 2023, leaving over 78,000 passengers stranded.

“Years of underinvestment have left NAIA struggling to meet the demands of a modern airport,” the NNIC president said.

“With Meralco as our partner, we are addressing power reliability as a top priority, alongside operational improvements such as decongesting traffic within the airport, widening roads, mitigating flooding, and replacing faulty equipment.”

Since NNIC took over, changes at NAIA have gradually been introduced. Ang in a previous statement emphasized that the airport “has long been operating beyond its intended capacity,” which in turn has been a burden on NAIA’s crumbling equipment and facilities.

Terminal 4, the airport’s oldest terminal, has temporarily been shuttered for renovations back in November. The new operator also added passenger boarding bridges, improved the airport’s internet connection, and raised parking fees. (READ: DOTr tempers fears over airport fee increases)

Just recently, Terminal 3 launched a centralized ride-hailing and taxi hub for passengers ahead of the holiday rush.

The NNIC will serve as the operator of NAIA for the next 15 years, with a possible 10-year extension. It has the difficult task of rehabilitating an airport with a reputation marred by bed bug-infested chairs, air traffic management woes, and broken air-conditioning systems.

Under the concession agreement, the NNIC is expected to invest about P122 billion in capital outlay to change that — all on top of sharing 82.16% of its gross revenue with the government. – Rappler.com