MANILA ELECTRIC Co. (Meralco) said it expects the supply of power during the dry season to be adequate, but asked more companies to participate in the interruptible load program (ILP).
In a statement on Thursday, Meralco said it is working with the Department of Energy (DoE) to ensure reliable electricity services during the hot months.
On May 2, the government weather service, known as PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration), raised its probability estimate for an El Niño dry spell in the next three months.
Meralco and the DoE urged the public to conserve electricity, with the power company saying more ILP participation will ensure sufficient power.
ILP participants are large power users that maintain their own backup power generators. When supply is tight, they stop drawing power from the grid and use their own facilities, reducing overall demand on the grid.
To date, Meralco said 117 companies are enrolled in the ILP within its franchise area.
The DoE has discouraged power plants from scheduling outages and conducting testing throughout the dry season.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Ashley Erika O. Jose