Manila Electric Company (Meralco), the country’s most technologically-advanced distribution utility, said its existing critical infrastructure can readily be used by electric cooperatives (ECs) to power up the rest of the country.
Meralco senior vice president Arnel Casanova said during the 45th Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association’s (PHILRECA) annual general membership meeting that for economic progress to move to the countryside, electric cooperatives have the option to work in unity with distribution utilities to bring electricity to the entire country in a 24/7 service that is reliable, affordable and sustainable.
Casanova showcased the technological innovations that Meralco could leverage to help electric cooperatives enhance their capability to provide reliable and stable electricity during his talk before energy stakeholders composed of National Electrification Administration (NEA) officials, executives from private and independent power producers and PHILRECA management and partners during the technical session titled “Tech the Next Step: Shaping Tomorrow’s Energy Landscape through Cutting-Edge Innovations,”
Casanova said these innovations include the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems that use predictive data analytics to ensure power is quickly restored or prevent power interruption.
“We are also upgrading our SCADA systems to help ensure that power is quickly restored if tripping occurs,” he said.
He said Meralco invested in a 3.5-gigawatt solar plant in Nueva Ecija with a 4,000-megawatt battery as part of its grid modernization efforts. The distribution utility also invested in and has an agreement with an American company engaged in micro-modular nuclear reactors.
“We have begun exploring and tapping nuclear energy, and we have sent five scholars for master’s degrees in nuclear engineering so that we could build Filipinos’ core competencies in nuclear engineering,” he said.
Meralco is also equipped with advanced metering infrastructure to improve energy management and efficiency, with plans to deploy three million smart meters by the end of 2024. A Meralco mobile app is also available to handle customer service concerns and help consumers monitor their electricity consumption.
He said Meralco would also automate substations and distribution lines to ensure power reliability.
Having invested in electric vehicles, Casanova said the company is also looking at advanced battery technology, with projections to build 100 charging stations by the end of the year.
