Insider Spotlight
Froilan Savet, Meralco’s head of networks, said the company’s 2025 capital expenditure budget is about P25 billion, with roughly 60 percent devoted to load growth and the rest to asset renewal and government-related infrastructure relocations.
“We have already spent P11.3 billion for our networks projects as of June,” he said, adding the spending further rose to P14 billion by August.
The company is set to report actual capex during its financial and operating results briefing later this month.
Savet added that Meralco is preparing to file its four-year regulatory reset application with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), covering the regulatory period from 2026 to 2030.
Smart grid push
Savet said Meralco is accelerating the rollout of smart meters and automation systems under its decade-old smart grid program.
“We started installing smart meters more than 10 years ago,” he said. “Now we are upgrading our advanced distribution management systems and preparing for distributed energy resources such as renewables, EVs, and battery storage.”
Meralco plans to deploy another 115,000 smart meters this year under a multi-year supply deal with Itron.
Expanding underground lines
Meralco’s underground network currently spans about 115 kilometers across key business districts like Makati, Bonifacio Global City, and Entertainment City. The company plans to expand this by an additional 1,570 circuit kilometers by 2030, focusing on “key value areas” such as financial districts, heritage zones, and flood-prone sites.
“Undergrounding should be LGU-initiated,” Savet said, citing coordination with Quezon City, Mandaluyong, and the Department of Public Works and Highways for flood-control integration.
While more resilient and visually unobtrusive, underground systems can cost up to ten times more than overhead lines and take longer to repair after outages.
Modernization and green power
Savet said Meralco is also “greening the network” by using natural ester oil for transformers and exploring “clean air” gas technologies to replace traditional SF6 gases.
“This is part of our distribution system sustainability program,” he said.
Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga added that the company’s system cleanup — particularly the removal of unauthorized telco attachments — is ongoing to ensure safety and system integrity.
“This is part of our modernization efforts to ensure the resiliency of our system,” Zaldarriaga said.
Meralco expects to continue these initiatives beyond Metro Manila as it builds a more robust, future-ready power network.
— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas
