Meralco pursues investments to cater to future needs of Filipino consumers

DT·23 August 2025, 12:25 am·1 MIN READ

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Steady progress towards a sustainable future. Terra Solar Philippines, Inc. (MTerra Solar), a unit of Meralco Powergen Corp. (MGEN), has completed the installation of 778 MW of solar panels just eight months after groundbreaking — marking the largest solar PV installation of its kind in the Philippines.

Lighting up schools through solar. Meralco subsidiary MSpectrum Inc. installed the solar panels in remote schools in Mauban, Quezon through One Meralco Foundation’s School Electrification Program.

Enhancing capacity for growth. Meralco invests heavily to support the growing demand of its customers. In photo is the Tayabas Power Transformer, whose capacity was increased to 300 megavolt-amperes (MVA) from 100 MVA to support load growth in portions of Quezon
and Laguna provinces. — Enhancing capacity for growth. Meralco invests heavily to support the growing demand of its customers. In photo is the Tayabas Power Transformer, whose capacity was increased to 300 megavolt-amperes (MVA) from 100 MVA to support load growth in portions of Quezon and Laguna provinces.

Energizing minds for the future. One Meralco Foundation powered Rosario Elementary School in Mauban, Quezon under its school electrification program. With solar-powered electricity enabling the use of educational tools like television, students are now more engaged and participative in classroom activities.

As the Philippine economy continues to expand, the demand for reliable, sustainable, and inclusive energy solutions has never been greater. Meralco is tackling the challenge headon, pouring resources into innovation and infrastructure to guarantee reliable power, stronger distribution systems, and quality service that can keep communities and industries running for years to come.

As of the first half of 2025, Meralco’s consolidated customer count grew to 8.1 million — up 3 percent from 7.9 million in the same period last year. This steady growth mirrors the country’s rapid electrification and urbanization, highlighting Meralco’s vital role in keeping homes, businesses and industries powered across its franchise area.

Building a Stronger Grid for a Growing Nation

To support the dynamic power requirements of its growing customer base, the Manuel V. Pangilinan-led distribution utility undertakes capitalintensive investments for upgrades and new projects intended to strengthen its distribution network and continuously deliver sufficient, reliable, and stable electricity service.

From April to June this year alone, Meralco added a total of 459 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to its system to serve load growth and improve service reliability. This included the energization of capital expenditure projects such as the first gas-insulated Regalado Switching Station in Quezon City, the Aseana-1 Substation project in Parañaque City, and the uprating of the transformer bank at the Tayabas Delivery Point Substation in Quezon Province.

Meralco also wrapped up two substation expansion projects and carried out key upgrades — including the uprating of sub-transmission lines, improvements on several 69-kilovolt (kV) lines, and reliability enhancements at the Abubot Substation in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

With these strategic upgrades and new facilities, Meralco has significantly enhanced its power service delivery — resulting in fewer and shorter outages for customers. By the end of June 2025, the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), which measures the number of power interruptions per customer, dropped to just 0.185 times from 0.2082 in the same period last year. Similarly, the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), which tracks the average outage duration per customer, improved to 20.943 minutes from 22.336 minutes.

Demonstrating its strong support for the government’s infrastructure push, the company successfully relocated 136 poles to accommodate various Build, Build, More (BBM) projects, and an additional 96 poles to enable road widening initiatives spearheaded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

To empower end-users through smarter technology and more efficient service, Meralco continues to pursue its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program, enabling greater access to customer choice programs — including the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), which successfully switched a total of 19 aggregated groups comprising 292 services by end-June.

“As we move into the second half, we remain focused on achieving key milestones that will enable us to meet our full-year profit target and business goals. While energy sales volume growth has been lower than anticipated, we remain on track to meet our overall targets as power generation is expected to deliver higher-thanexpected performance, offsetting the anticipated slower demand growth,” Meralco Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Pangilinan said.

Paving the Way Towards a More Sustainable Energy Future

Meralco also continues to expand beyond its core distribution business, driving transformative initiatives that shape a future-ready energy ecosystem. Its power generation subsidiary, Meralco Powergen Corp. (MGEN), has charted steady progress across key projects in the first half of 2025.

Just eight months after groundbreaking, MGEN unit Terra Solar Philippines, Inc. (MTerra Solar) completed the installation of an impressive 778 megawatts (MW) of solar photovoltaic panels — marking the largest solar PV installation of its kind in the Philippines to date. As of the end of June, Phase 1 of the project was 54 percent complete, with land acquisition and conversion nearly finalized. Phase 2 is moving forward, now 42 percent complete. Additionally, 88 out of 89 planned 500-kV tower sites have been secured, with the final site expected to be completed within the third quarter of 2025.

With the Department of Energy reaffirming its status as a Committed Project and confirming its exemption from the coal moratorium, MGEN’s 1,200-MW ultra supercritical power plant under Atimonan One Energy, Inc., is now back in active development and is poised to play a key role in strengthening the country’s energy security.

On the international front, MGEN’s Singapore-based subsidiary, PacificLight Power Pte. Ltd., commissioned a new 100-MW Fast-Start Ancillary Services facility on May 14, 2025. Powered by Siemens Energy gas turbines, the plant is designed to provide rapid-response support during grid disturbances. PacificLight also secured the rights to build and operate a 600-MW greenfield combined cycle gas plant in Jurong Industrial Park, which will bring its total operating capacity in Singapore to 1,500 MW by 2029.

“From thermal and LNG to renewables and battery storage, we are scaling up investments that push our growth and profitability forward, ultimately delivering greater value to our stakeholders. We are proud of the progress we have made so far and remain steadfast in contributing to One Meralco’s drive for a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy future,” MGEN President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio said.

Lighting Lives Through Social Impact

Beyond its role in delivering electricity, Meralco continues to make a meaningful difference in underserved communities through the One Meralco Foundation (OMF).

In the first half of 2025 alone, OMF energized 580 low-income households across the Meralco franchise area, four public schools in Mauban, Quezon, and a health station in Cuyo Island, Palawan. Through its Light Up Pilipinas program, OMF distributed 224 solar lamps to fisherfolk and Navy personnel in remote areas of Cagayan and Cebu, and donated computer sets to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to support reservists and veterans.

OMF also partnered with One Meralco employee-volunteers to support the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela campaign. Over 6,000 public school students received learning kits, while volunteers helped repaint classrooms, donate cleaning supplies, and assess electrical facilities in schools across Metro Manila and 10 other provinces. Meralco crews also ensured safety by pruning trees and inspecting electrical systems.

In times of crisis, Meralco’s compassion shines through, as OMF delivered timely assistance to a total of 1,373 families affected by disasters — including fires in Metro Manila and volcanic eruptions in Bicol and Negros Occidental.

Meralco’s infrastructure and sustainability programs are more than corporate initiatives — they are contributions to national development. By modernizing the grid, supporting government projects, and uplifting communities, Meralco is helping build a future-ready Philippines.