December 31, 2015 5:28 pm by RITCHIE A. HORARIO, REPORTER
MAJOR power
distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is considering installing at least
100 megawatts (MW) of solar power within three years.
Meralco president
Oscar Reyes said the plan is still being studied as part of the company’s
venture into renewable energy (RE).
“We still don’t have
a firm target, but maybe over three years, the aspiration is 100 MW,” said
Reyes.
Under the plan, Reyes
said the solar power projects would be installed in Meralco’s franchise areas
only.
“Initially, within
our franchise area,” he said, noting it could initially be just rooftop facilities.
Reyes said Meralco
would consider tapping bigger commercial and industrial customers if rooftop
solar works.
Al Panlilio, Meralco
senior vice president for customer retail services and corporate
communications, said earlier Meralco is interested in partnering with local and
global players for the solar venture.
“Given the global
developments on RE and especially solar, Meralco is itself interested in
exploring partnerships with local and global players,” Panlilio said.
Panlilio added that
the company would concentrate more on solar energy, considering the sector’s
huge growth potential.
“We think the RE
space will grow, and we want to be part of that growth,” he said.
Panlilio said Meralco
would ensure the safe and reliable operation of the planned solar distribution
grid.
Meantime, Reyes
clarified that Meralco would have a separate unit other than its subsidiary
Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) to spearhead its foray into RE.
MGen is building
various power projects fueled by coal and natural gas.
Reyes said Meralco’s
plan to create a separate RE unit called MSpectrum is now on the development
stage.
“We want to be also
in renewables, which are going to increase its role,” he said.
In July, Meralco
revealed its plans to venture into RE to expand its power generation portfolio.
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