HE New NAIA Infra Corp. (NNIC) and the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) have entered into a strategic partnership to power the modernization of Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The partnership, formalized in a signing ceremony on December 9 in Pasig City, aims to provide sustainable and reliable energy solutions that will meet NAIA’s growing needs.
With this partnership, NNIC and Meralco are ensuring the airport is ready to handle the demands of modern aviation while improving operational efficiency and resilience, the parties said. NAIA has faced persistent power issues due to aging infrastructure, lack of modernization and inadequate capacity to meet increasing demands which disrupted operations.
“By enhancing power reliability for the new NAIA, we are going to help empower the tourism and travel industry, support economic growth and enrich the travel experience for countless travelers. This will be a step towards NNIC’s goal of transforming our country’s vital gateway into a world-class facility…,” said Manuel Pangilinan, Meralco chairman and chief executive officer.
Ramon Ang, NNIC president, said the company is 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.
The partnership also includes projects that form the backbone of NAIA’s modernization, including Meralco’s building of a new 115 kiloVolt (kV) – 34.5 kV GIS substation for completion by December 2026 to provide reliable power to NAIA’s four terminals.
This new NAIA substation will complement Meralco’s existing NAIA-3 substation which will ultimately provide two 83 megavolt amperes transformer banks and six 34.5 kV underground feeders for enhanced reliability, redundancy and future-readiness.
Meralco is also working with NNIC in implementing an underground power distribution network that will align with the airport’s operational needs through 2026 apart from the installation of a 4,900 kiloVolt amperes uninterrupted power supply system across six critical locations, including NAIA Terminal 3 and the airfield.
The company said this upgrade will provide uninterrupted power for critical airport operations and further strengthen infrastructure resilience.
