MANILA – The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is preparing to introduce more technological innovations in the energy sector, but remains on a wait-and-see stance as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) finalizes the revised rules for the first regulatory period.

Meralco First Vice President and Head of Networks Froilan Savet said Friday that the company plans to deploy 11 million smart meters under a 10-year modernization program. The initiative will proceed once the ERC approves Meralco’s rate reset application, which outlines its proposed investments, operations, and pricing.

Smart meters will allow customers to monitor their electricity consumption in real time.

Savet said the modernization plan also includes the establishment of the Grid Edge Operations and Control Center (GEOCC), a state-of-the-art facility designed to manage Meralco’s assets and interconnected systems along the “last mile” of its power distribution network.

Other initiatives include expanding distributed energy resources, net-metering, embedded generation, and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Meralco’s franchise areas.

“These will allow Meralco to transition to a potential future role as a Distribution System Operator,” Savet said.

He declined to disclose investment figures pending ERC’s policy decision. “The GEOCC will be part of the whole application to be submitted to the ERC for the next regulatory period, so its rollout will depend on the ERC approval,” he added.

Savet also noted that Meralco’s infrastructure is resilient enough to withstand strong natural disasters. “What we really want is we anticipate disaster, we absorb the impact, and then we adapt,” he said, adding that Meralco’s current equipment can withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake depending on its location.

He reported that the company’s System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) is at 1.04 times, meaning that a customer experiences an average of just over one power interruption per year, lasting around 180 minutes. “We are at par with Southeast Asian countries and rural utilities in the US,” Savet said.

Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe Zaldarriaga said the company continues to invest heavily in strengthening its power distribution network.

“We have invested heavily in the distribution system and backbone so that if any calamity, whether it’s an earthquake or a strong typhoon, we will be able to somewhat withstand,” Zaldarriaga said.

He added that Meralco has protocols in place to ensure quick response during emergencies. “Our network crews are strategically located so we can respond almost instantaneously as long as the situation will allow it,” he said. (PNA)