Meralco seeks approval to install more smart meters

Power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is seeking regulatory approval for an additional 235,000 smart meters as it aggressively expands its prepaid retail electricity service (PRES).

The company has filed an application with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to roll out 235,000 smart meters for regulatory year 2017 or from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017, Meralco SVP and head for customer retail services and corporate communications Alfredo Panlilio said.

“We have ( one) pending now for 235,000 meters for regulatory year 2017… depending on how we can also bring down cost of meters, we’ll ramp it up accordingly,” he said.

The recent filing came after the ERC approved the additional 100,000 prepaid meters sought by Meralco for regulatory year 2016, which covers the July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.

Panlilio said the application would cover a mix of prepaid and postpaid smart meters, but more of prepaid meters since the product is already developed.

In its initial rollout, Meralco was cleared by the ERC for 40,000 prepaid meters.

In the same event, Meralco president Oscar Reyes said this is part of the power distributor’s automation of its network.

“We’re fortunate to get the support of ERC to provide us the necessary approvals for capital expenditures for infrastructure. We’re nearing 40,000 prepaid meters and we have approval now for the next 100,000 and those will be rolled out and deployed. So there will be additional waves of smart meters, prepaid and postpaid,” Reyes said.

Currently, Meralco’s smart grid journey is still on the infancy stage as the power distributor is targeting to have half of its total customers shift to smart meters in the next eight years, Panlilio said.

“We’re hoping that by 2024, at least half of the market is on smart meters,” he said.

So far, Meralco has installed around 32,000 prepaid meters within its franchise.

Panlilio said the first 40,000 prepaid meter roll out would be hit by September of October. This means 0.67 percent of the projected six million Meralco customers will be on smart meters.

“My dream on smart grid is everybody (to be) on smart meters. But obviously, we have to work with ERC in terms of approvals… Of course, our role is to bring down the costs (of meters) even further,” he said.