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Aerial view of the Upper Wawa Pumping Station Shaft. The shaft is 65-meter deep, equivalent to a 20-storey office building. The pumping station is a component of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, that will convey water from the Upper Wawa Dam reservoir to the Manila Water treatment plant, helping ensure water security.

Prime Infra-led WawaJVCo has energized the Upper Wawa Pumping Station, a major component of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, using retail electricity supply (RES). 

On March 31, WawaJVCo successfully energized the pumping station by connecting it to the Meralco grid. On the same day, WawaJVCo also switched the pumping station, from a captive to a contestable market, under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) framework.

The switch to RCOA was achieved through a retail electricity supply contract with PrimeRES Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of Primelectric Holdings Inc.

“The energization of the Upper Wawa Pumping Station is an important step for the bulk water project towards securing reliable water supply in the long-term. Our switch to retail electricity supply also enables us to adopt cost-efficient power solutions and fulfill our commitment to sustainable solutions as the pumping station will be fully powered by clean and renewable energy sources,” said Melvin John Tan, Prime Infra Market Sector Lead for Water and WawaJVCo President. 

WawaJVCo is scheduled to begin Performance Acceptance Tests for the pumping station this June. The tests are designed to simulate the actual operations of the pumping station under various conditions.

The timely energization and same day switch to RES were successfully carried out through the assistance of Prime Metro BMD Corporation (PrimeBMD) and the local government of Antipolo City.

The Upper Wawa Pumping Station, located in Antipolo City, features a 65-meter deep shaft which is equivalent to a 20-storey office building, and a 1-kilometer tunnel with conveyance pipeline capable of delivering 518 million liters of raw water per day. A component of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, the pumping station will convey water from the Upper Wawa Dam reservoir to the Manila Water treatment plant for distribution.

WawaJVCo, a subsidiary of Prime Infra, is the developer and operator of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project which will provide a yearlong water supply capacity of up to 710 million liters per day once completed. This supply capacity is expected to benefit over 700,000 households or 3.5 million Filipinos.