Meralco secures 56 MW of spare capacity for red alerts

MANILA  -Power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will be saving 56 megawatts (MW) of crucial capacity usually delivered to a big customer under normal circumstances as it anticipates higher demand this dry season.

In a statement on Monday, Meralco said Ayala Property Management Corp. (APMC) has pledged 56-MW “de-loading” capacity under the Interruptible Load Program (ILP). This program allows big-load customers to temporarily disconnect from the national grid by using their own generators when a red alert is raised.

APMC’s pledge would expand Meralco’s total ILP capacity to 616 MW from 560 MW.

APMC would now be able to reduce its reliance on the national grid for a total 144 MW from 88 MW previously.

ILP, a voluntary demand-side program, is critical in times of red alerts, or when power reserves are at a low and could not meet demand, since capacity could be redirected to thousands of households, sparing them from power interruptions.

There are currently 117 companies under the Meralco franchise area that are part of the ILP, which was first implemented by the company in 2014.

“Electricity consumption historically rises during the dry months because of the increased use of cooling appliances. That’s why we, in Meralco, continue to share a wealth of energy efficiency tips, not only to help our customers better manage their power consumption, but also to encourage its adoption as a way of life,” said Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco vice president for corporate communications. INQ

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