Meralco empowers consumers through innovative, sustainable investments

Meralco empowers consumers through innovative, sustainable investments | Daily Tribune

In line with its push for innovation and sustainability, Meralco also recently rolled out the Nuclear Energy Strategic Transition (NEST) program — a flagship initiative designed to support the integration of nuclear power as a long-term, low-carbon component of the Philippine energy mix.

This program adopts a multi-track approach to evaluate all viable pathways for nuclear power deployment in the Philippines, such as initiating large-scale greenfield projects, exploring the potential deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs), and studying the feasibility of rehabilitating the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

Meralco is exploring with Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) how it can accelerate the adoption of new energy technologies, including nuclear energy.

Viewing SMRs as a future-ready solution, the power distributor has also partnered with DL Engineering & Construction, another Korean firm, to explore deploying the technology in the Philippines, particularly in off-grid areas.

It also entered a strategic collaboration with state-controlled French multinational electric utility company Electricité de France SA (EDF) to explore the potential of nuclear energy deployment.

“Innovation and technology amplify each other, creating possibilities we couldn’t imagine alone. But at the heart of it all are people with purpose, driving progress forward,” Meralco executive vice president and chief operating officer Ronnie L. Aperocho said.

Pushing boundaries through collaboration

At Meralco, innovation is a mindset that drives bold ideas and practical solutions — from AI-powered customer service to advanced grid technologies.

Every year, Meralco holds its Innovation Month to bring together employees, partners, and students who share a commitment to shaping the future of energy through creative and digital transformation initiatives.

“Here at Meralco, innovation is not just a week-long celebration. It’s not just a program. It is a mindset, a discipline, and a culture we build together,” Meralco senior vice president and head of Information, Communication, Technology & Transformation Rocky D. Bacani said. “Innovation isn’t about predicting the future. It’s about creating it — idea by idea, project by project, spark by spark.”

The latest Innovation Month in November 2025 was powered by leading technology partners, including Palo Alto Networks, Fujitsu, AWS, Asus Business, Pazific Power, Calibr8, Indra, Tata Consultancy Services, Fortinet, Messaging Solutions Provider, Siemens, Geoplan, IBM and Novare.

A standout moment of the event was the Innovation Awards 2025, which celebrated ideas turning vision into real-world impact.

Meralco’s Pillar Champions showcased breakthrough solutions driving innovation across the organization — spanning grid resilience, customer experience, enterprise efficiency, and environment, safety and health (ESH).

From an initial pool of 35 innovation groups, the journey narrowed to 15 project teams that advanced to the Deliver Phase — each demonstrating how creativity, collaboration, and digital transformation can address real operational challenges.

The culmination of this rigorous process was the recognition of four (4) outstanding pillar finalists, led by Project NIMBUS of Team Stormtroopers representing the Grid Pillar, which emerged as the Overall Champion for its innovative contribution to strengthening Meralco’s network. The other finalists were Team Mobile Eyesite (ESH Pillar) as First Runner-Up, Periscope (Enterprise Pillar) as Second Runner-Up, and KAPIT Lang (Customer Pillar) as Third Runner-Up.

This exemplified Meralco’s culture of innovation — proving that when ideas are nurtured and executed with purpose, they can create meaningful and lasting impact not just across the organization, but also to the stakeholders that the company serves.

Real-World Solutions from the Next Generation

Another highlight of the Innovation Month was IDOL Hackathon, anchored by Meralco Power Academy (MPA), which gathered 15 teams of talented students for an intense 24-hour challenge of rapid, collaborative engineering to develop functional prototypes that addressed real-world challenges.

With the theme “Digital Sparks: Code The Future,” the IDOL Hackathon challenged participants to envision and construct groundbreaking technologies that will power the future of electric utilities.

Team Koryinti, composed of five (5) students from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, UP Los Baños and Mapúa University, took home the top prize for their project, “Revolt: Charging the Future of Sustainable Transport.” The winning concept is a centralized e-mobility ecosystem that offers charger mapping, trip routing and charge reservation and rental services.

Team TIP of the Iceberg, a three-member team from Technological Institute of the Philippines-Manila, placed second for their project, “Alisto,” an integrated IoT platform designed to monitor appliances, detect risks early, and strengthen fire safety at home.

Team VoltGuard, with four students from Ateneo de Manila University and Saint Louis University, landed in third place for their phone-based application that uses advanced analytics to enable smart monitoring of unattended appliances and potential hazards.

Powering the future through knowledge sharing

Another key event of Meralco’s Innovation Month celebration was Tech Talk. With the theme “Orchestrating the Intelligent Grid: Shaping the Future of Distributed Energy,” the session explored how advanced technologies are transforming the energy landscape.

The discussion centered on the Intelligent Grid and the critical systems and strategies needed to manage the rapid growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar and battery storage.

Tech Talk emphasized that the shift to an intelligent, two-way grid is not just timely — it is essential. This evolution enables utilities to ensure stability, resilience, and sustainability while meeting decarbonization goals and empowering the modern energy consumer.

Meralco’s Geluz said the session, which featured three technology experts, brought unique perspectives on the future of energy, technology, and enterprise that “will inspire us to think differently and act boldly.”

Gavin Barfield, chief technology officer and vice president for Solutions of Salesforce ASEAN, set the tone by challenging participants to rethink customer service in the age of AI, showing how intelligent technologies can create smarter, more personalized experiences that reinforce Meralco’s customer-first vision.

Hadri Haris, Lead Public Affairs & BD at Tesla Southeast Asian Region, discussed intelligent grid and sustainable energy, spotlighting innovations beyond EVs, such as battery storage, solar panels, and charging infrastructure — all crucial to building a future-ready grid.

AWS Head of Technology Unni Pillai inspired participants to redesign work for the future through digital enterprise transformation, reminding them that every efficiency gained in the back office translates to better experiences at the front line.

The panel discussion wove these insights together, emphasizing that creating an intelligent grid demands collaboration, vision, and the courage to rethink traditional utility models.

These initiatives and conversations reflect Meralco’s unwavering commitment to innovation as a concept and a culture that drives real-world impact. By embracing technology, sustainability, and collaboration, Meralco is not only powering homes and businesses but also shaping the future of energy for generations to come.

“We’re not just keeping the lights on. We’re illuminating possibilities. We’re not just distributing power. We are empowering communities. We’re not just a utility company. We are architects of the Philippines’ energy future,” Geluz said.