MERALCO ON TRACK WITH P1-B CAPEX
Some 19,332 households are now enjoying efficient and reliable electricity as of June
Dominant power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) remains on track to fully power up its franchise area to accompany the government’s drive to provide all Filipinos access to electricity by 2022.
The company said Saturday it switched on 536 priority sites, from only 492 sites energized in May.
Some 19,332 households are now enjoying efficient and reliable electricity as of June.
Meralco had set aside over P1 billion for its electrification program, the bulk of which was allocated to the southern part of its coverage area.
RE for power stream
To provide electricity to far-flung areas, Meralco has adopted micro-grid systems powered by renewable energy (RE). These systems use solar power backed up by batteries and diesel generators to ensure uninterrupted electric service.
“Our commitment to providing electric service to our unserved and underserved customers through our Meralco Electrification Program projects is on track. We have also identified and are energizing the remaining households to fully energize our entire franchise area,” said Joe R. Zaldarriaga, Meralco spokesperson and vice president for Corporate Communications.
“The imposition of community quarantines was indeed a challenge but this did not stop us from ensuring our commitment to continuously provide adequate, stable, and reliable power to all our customers, especially that electricity plays a very crucial role amid the country’s ongoing vaccination program,” he added.
Meralco underscored that the electrification program complements the
Department of Energy’s (DoE) calls to distribution utilities (DU) and electric cooperatives (EC) to power up the entire country.
Marching order
In 2019, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi issued a directive for all DU and EC to “attain 100 percent household electrification by 2022.”
The company’s social development arm, One Meralco Foundation (OMF), also supports the energization program with its efforts in household and school electrification.
Under school electrification, OMF typically installs 3-kilowatt solar PV systems to power lights, fans, and learning tools in off-grid schools.
As of the first quarter of the year, Meralco has 7.2 million customers, 92 percent of which comes from the residential sector, 8 percent from commercial, and the rest from industrial.