The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) is actively transforming the Philippine energy landscape through technological innovation, environmental stewardship, and public service.

With its franchise renewed for another 25 years, Meralco continues its legacy of over 120 years to continue serving the Filipino people and contribute to nation-building in the years to come.

Through smart infrastructure, clean power, and community outreach, the company powers not just homes — but the future of the nation.

Last April, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed into law Republic Act. 12146, renewing Meralco’s franchise for another 25 years from June 2028. This follows the approval and endorsement of House Bill 10926 by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

“The recent 25-year renewal of Meralco’s franchise, signed by President Marcos, is a milestone for the Company, for which we are grateful indeed. This reinforces our commitment to public service, to sustainable growth, to nation-building. It is as well a reminder of our public accountability. As we move forward, we remain dedicated to enhancing our services, and ensuring that our stakeholders receive the best value from partnering with us for development,” Meralco chairman and chief executive officer Manuel V. Pangilinan had said.

Massive investments to make distribution network resilient, smarter

“We invested heavily to reinforce and modernize our distribution network, so even when demand surges or when calamity strikes, our system holds strong. In 2024 alone, Meralco invested over P24 billion to expand, upgrade, and fortify our network. We built new substations to support the needs of emerging townships, upgraded lines, hardened facilities against storms and other calamities, and modernized the distribution system,” Meralco executive vice president and chief operating officer Ronnie L. Aperocho said.

He added that these upgrades paid off, resulting in fewer and shorter outages for Meralco. By end-March 2025, incidents of power interruptions per customer, measured by the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), was only at 0.185 times — an improvement from 0.2082 times in the same period the previous year. Likewise, the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), which tracks the duration per customer, improved to 20.943 minutes from 22.336 minutes.

Part of Meralco’s investments is the development of new facilities to meet the increasing demand for power without compromising the quality of service. Among the major projects the power distributor recently completed are the commissioning of the Mesaland Substation in Sta. Rosa, Laguna; the installation of a second 83-MVA power transformer bank at Malinta Substation in Valenzuela City; as well as the installation of a second 83-MVA power transformer bank at the Fort Bonifacio Global City Substation in Taguig City.

Smart energy solutions to empower consumers

Meralco places customers at the center of its digital transformation, with initiatives like Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) aimed at empowering users through smarter technology and more efficient service.

“Our relentless efforts to further improve operational performance is a testament that our customers are at the heart of everything that we do. Our Digital Transformation continuously enhanced customer experience. The faster and easier it is for customers to transact with Meralco, the better,” Aperocho said.

Meralco’s AMI enables its customer choice programs, including the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP) which successfully switched a total of five aggregated groups comprising 110 services by the end of the quarter. This was also instrumental to the successful pilot of smart meters to 5,000 postpaid customers, with more planned to be converted in the coming years.

The large-scale smart meter rollout reinforces the company’s commitment to giving customers more control over their electricity usage and ensuring better reliability and transparency.

“AMI or smart metering technology is a game-changer in how we serve and empower our customers. Last year, we completed our preparatory activities for the massive rollout of smart meters. This enables customers to monitor their electricity usage better and manage their consumption more efficiently. AMI also gives us better grid visibility, allowing us to detect outages or anomalies faster and to respond more quickly. We are about to deploy these smart meters at scale to eventually cover 100 percent of our customer base — aiming for at least 11 million smart meters to be deployed within the next decade,” Aperocho said.

Beyond the core distribution utility business, Meralco’s strategic direction entails supporting and enabling the adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) and electric vehicles (EVs).

Meralco is embracing DERs by upgrading its infrastructure to handle more intermittent renewable energy. As more customers put up solar panels, Meralco ensures that its network will be ready, not just to distribute electricity, but also to source excess energy from homes and businesses.

Meanwhile, the company is playing two critical roles in the EV ecosystem. As a user, Meralco already converted over 150 units or 6 percent of its fleet to electric vehicles. By 2030, it aims to reach 25 percent fleet electrification through its Green Mobility Program. As an enabler, the company is preparing the distribution system to support the charging infrastructure needed both by homes and commercial EV charging.

“As we embrace new technologies and evolve our capabilities, we always stay true to our mission of helping families, businesses and our nation thrive through advanced energy solutions and smarter infrastructure or programs,” Aperocho said.

Accelerating energy transition through renewables, LNG

Meralco’s investments in renewable energy and major infrastructure projects also highlight its support to achieve energy security in the long term through sustainable solutions.

Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN), through its renewable energy unit MGEN Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen), continued its expansion track and has so far completed three new solar projects: the 52.8-MWac Cordon plant in Isabela, the 19.8-MWac Bongabon plant in Nueva Ecija and the 12.5 MW second phase of its Baras plant in Rizal, which now has a capacity of 80.1 MW.

MGEN also recently achieved two milestone achievements in its renewable and liquefied natural gas (LNG) initiatives.

First, MGEN closed the landmark $600-million investment from Actis, which acquired a 40 percent equity stake in MTerra Solar — project company of the world’s largest integrated 3,500 MWp solar plants with 4,500 MWhr of battery energy storage project. As of the end April, the overall project completion rate stood at 42 percent, with ongoing construction works on the substation and the assembly of structures for the solar panels.

Additionally, related to the project, MTerra Solar executed a P150-billion Omnibus Loan and Security Agreement (OLSA) with six local banks to finance the ongoing development and construction of the project.

For its venture in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) space, MGEN together with a partner, closed the investment for a joint stake in the country’s first integrated LNG facility in Batangas. Through Chromite Gas, MGEN now holds an effective 40.2 percent attributable interest in two gas-fired power plants — the 1,200 MW facility of South Premiere Power Corporation and the 1,275 MW facility of Excellent Energy Resources, Inc. (EERI) — along with an LNG import regasification terminal.

Powering the good life through sustainability, social development

As an integral part of its operations, Meralco made significant strides in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance. This allowed the Company to maintain its ‘BBB’ ESG rating from MSCI, reflecting its leadership in sustainability, carbon emissions disclosures, and governance policies. Meralco also retained ‘C’ scores for Climate Change and Water Security from CDP, aligning with the global average.

Aperocho said Meralco’s social responsibility is rooted in our belief that access to reliable energy is a fundamental enabler of opportunity.

One Meralco Foundation (OMF) powered 238 low-income homes in Metro Manila and Laguna and distributed 200 solar lamps in Calayan Island, Cagayan. OMF also conducted an inclusive basketball clinic, provided hygiene kits to inmates at New Bilibid Prisons, and distributed relief packs to over 1,100 families affected by fires.

MGEN and its subsidiaries, meanwhile, supported host communities in Nueva Ecija by installing solar-powered streetlights, conducting job readiness training for 630 scholars, and setting up temporary marketplaces for local products and services.

“Our commitment to nation-building goes far beyond delivering electricity — it’s about enabling progress, empowering lives, and creating lasting impact. With over 120 years of industry leadership, we understand our customers and communities well, and we carry a responsibility to lead with integrity, innovate with purpose, and uplift those we serve,” Aperocho concluded.