Meralco PowerGen Corp., the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co., said it is keen on completing 100 megawatts of solar power projects this year despite the delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“In terms of renewables, we are still committed to about 100 MW of renewables. Unfortunately, there are two projects that we are supposed to be already on COD [commercial operations date] this year,” Meralco PowerGen president Rogelio Singson said.
The first is the 50-MW solar project of MGEN Renewable Energy Inc., the renewable energy subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen, in San Miguel, Bulacan, with PowerSource First Bulacan Solar Inc. as partner.
“Unfortunately because of the lockdown and because our EPC [engineering, procurement and construction] contractor here is from China, the delivery of solar panels have been delayed,” Singson said.
Singson said the developer of the project received partial authority to restart works “because we wanted to do advance works on the drainage of the site so that when the rains come, we will just be ready to mount the panels.”
He said the other 50-MW solar project is in Tarlac province, which is also delayed because of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.
“The COVID-19 outbreak has created an extremely challenging environment of unprecedented scale, posing a grave threat to public health and almost all forms of human activity,” said Meralco president and chief executive Ray Espinosa.
Espinosa said Meralco should ensure the continuity of its services. “Our business continuity and resiliency plans and the dedication of our employees and personnel have allowed us to continue delivering reliable and affordable power and to swiftly respond to service outages and interruptions in this time of great public need,” Espinosa said.
“We are also now looking into the future, into what we and our operations should be once the signal is given to return to the workplace. This involves reimagining the workplace and introducing health protocols to ensure the health and safety of those who will return to our offices and facilities; splitting operations between offices and homes [under an enduring work-from-home arrangement] to ensure resilient operations; enhancing and pushing our digital channels to enable greater and more intimate customer interactions anytime and anywhere; and hastening our digital transformation through the deployment of advance network automation and automated metering, to provide more reliable, efficient and responsive service,” Espinosa said.