Meralco to test prepaid scheme in December

Manila Electric Co., the country’s biggest power distributor, is bent on pushing through next month the implementation of a technical pilot test for the prepaid electricity scheme, despite initial hitches.

“We are still hoping [to start] by mid to third week of December the technical pilot [test]. [The] project team is working hard to make it happen,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, senior vice president and head of customer retail services of Meralco.

Panlilio, however, declined to elaborate on the factors that may cause possible delays in the proposed technical pilot test, which will look into the viability of the prepaid mode of paying for electricity consumption.

“Before, it was the negotiation of the contract [that has pushed back implementation]. At present, [there is] no major issue really, but you know how systems development goes,” Panlilio said in a text message on Thursday.

The technical pilot test will cover about 40 households in Angono, Rizal. This is being conducted prior to implementing a wider-scale commercial pilot that will involve some 40,000 households close to the middle of next year, Panlilio earlier said.