WawaJVCo powers up pumping station with clean energy switch
Aerial view of the Upper Wawa Pumping Station Shaft. The shaft is 65-meter deep, equivalent to a 20-story 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 officially energized the Upper Wawa Pumping Station, a key component of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, marking a major milestone in the push to provide a long-term, sustainable water source for Metro Manila.
On 31 March, the pumping station was successfully connected to the Meralco grid and simultaneously transitioned from a captive power setup to a contestable market under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) framework. This switch allows WawaJVCo to source electricity from a preferred supplier 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.
The successful energization and market switch were made possible with the support of Prime Metro BMD Corporation (PrimeBMD) and the local government of Antipolo City.
Located in Antipolo, the Upper Wawa Pumping Station features a 65-meter deep vertical shaft — roughly the height of a 20-story building — and a 1-kilometer tunnel with a conveyance pipeline that can deliver up to 518 million liters of raw water per day. It will draw water from the Upper Wawa Dam reservoir for treatment and distribution by Manila Water.
WawaJVCo is set to begin Performance Acceptance Tests for the pumping station in June to simulate real-world operating conditions before it goes into full operation.
The Wawa Bulk Water Supply Project, developed and operated by WawaJVCo, is projected to provide up to 710 million liters of water per day once completed — enough to benefit more than 700,000 households or approximately 3.5 million Filipinos.