MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) plans to provide electricity to around 2,000 to 3,000 households located within Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-protected areas in its franchise zone by 2026 through the use of solar home systems.

In an interview Thursday, Meralco Chief Revenue Officer Ferdinand Geluz said that due to restrictions on building infrastructure in protected sites—such as in Tanay, Rizal and Mauban, Quezon—the company cannot install traditional power lines to connect residents to the grid.

“But we already have a proposed solution, which is the solar home system. We have filed it with the ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) and once approved, the plan is to install solar battery system per household,” Geluz told the Philippine News Agency.

The solar setup will operate on a plug-and-play basis, with panels mounted on the rooftops of homes. Each household will be charged a fixed rate rather than a variable fee based on consumption, since usage will depend on the capacity of the installed solar batteries.

Based on the 2020 census, the project will benefit households averaging between 20 to 30 kilowatts (kW) in monthly consumption. The initiative is expected to cost around ₱143 million.

“Implementation is probably, at the earliest, next year,” Geluz said.

He added that the project has already been factored into Meralco’s capital expenditures. However, procurement of necessary equipment is on hold pending ERC approval.

Despite the remaining unelectrified households in its coverage area, Geluz noted that Meralco maintains one of the highest electrification rates in the country at 99.97 percent.