Shifting to High Gear at Naia-3
by ZENNAI SCHWARTZ
The usual scene in all four terminals of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) is a constant hustle and bustle of operations that run 24/7. Naia is the Philippines’s busiest airport and the country’s primary gateway for passengers and cargo. Interruptions to airport operations would have severe knock-on effects across the economy.
This is why the “April 2016 Blackout” made history. The five-hour Naia power outage delayed four international flights, cancelled 82 domestic flights, and affected nearly 14,000 passengers.
Arriving quickly at the airport’s electrical substation, crews from the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) provided an assessment and a remedy in record time.
“The power outage created a domino effect,” explains Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) spokesperson David de Castro. “It made one generator malfunction, but it was not the main cause of the [prolonged] outage.”
When the management allowed Meralco to conduct a thorough inspection, the team discovered that the airport’s switchgear systems were obsolete; those installed at Naia Terminal 3 were still manually operated.
Critical to the reliability of the electricity supply, switchgears are used to control, protect and isolate electrical equipment.
Meralco has since replaced switchgears 2 and 3 with ring main units, also known as smart switchgears, which allow high power levels to be safely controlled automatically.
Installed in October 2016, these state-of-the-art smart switchgears provide control, measurement, monitoring, and alerts features to improve the efficiency and reliability of airport operations. Remote monitoring and control of equipment to greatly improve restoration time are also vital.
The team replaced underground cables used to supply power to ensure an efficient flow of energy. On Oct. 14, 2016, the Manila Sector team of Meralco conducted a seminar and demonstration for Naia personnel on the handling of circuit breakers and battery maintenance for an even quicker response time.
Airport Council International figures reflect steady increases in Naia passenger volume, from 34.1 million in 2014 to 39.5 million in 2016. As rising passenger numbers place greater demands on the airport’s power systems, the switchgear upgrades couldn’t have happened soon enough.