Meralco seeks ERC okay for purchase of meters

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – Power utility giant Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is seeking the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to purchase 40,000 prepaid meters to kick off its entry into the smart grid system.

Jose Ronald Valles, Meralco’s head of the regulatory office, said they have included the smart meter acquisition in their draft determination application with the ERC.

“We hope to be able to buy these smart meters. It is included in the next regulatory period application with the ERC,” he said.

A smart grid is a form of electricity network utilizing digital technology. It delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital communications to control appliances in homes.

This system is envisioned to save energy, reduce costs and increase reliability and transparency.

Smart grid overlays the ordinary electrical grid with an information and net metering system, that includes smart meters. Smart grids are being promoted by many governments as a way of addressing energy independence, global warming and emergency resilience issues. It normally includes an intelligent monitoring system that keeps track of all electricity flowing in the system. It also has the capability of integrating renewable electricity such as solar and wind.

Valles said they have likewise sought to increase the number of their automated meter reading devices to cover all the company’s customers with at least one megawatt (MW) of power consumption.

He said they would need approval from the regulators as these purchases would entail costs to Meralco, being part of its capital expenditure and eventually would be passed on to customers.

But Valles said there are also some pilot testing being carried out for the so-called broadband-over-power lines.

“All our efforts are still in the preliminary stages. This will all depend on the approval of the ERC and how our customers will accept this. The broadband over power lines are now being studied,” he said.

The ERC, for its part, has already issued net metering guidelines to ensure that the welfare of the consumers will be protected as well as the interest of the distribution utilities engaging in smart grid technologies.

Meralco had started using smart grid-related activities with the entry of its new majority owner, Philippine Long Distance Co. (PLDT).

Earlier, Meralco president Manuel Pangilinan said the entry of PLDT in Meralco will establish strategic synergies between the two firms.

Based on an earlier, proposal, Meralco’s subsidiary Meralco Energy Systems Inc. (Miescor) will take the lead in the implementation of the broadband project.