Meralco boosts drive vs electricity theft, system losses

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is expanding the capacity of substations and power lines and apprehending energy pilferers to further reduce system loss charges.

Aside from catching violators, Meralco said it is “implementing preventive measures and system design improvements to make illegal electricity use more difficult.”

For technical system loss, Meralco continues to invest in enhanced capacity to “improve the efficiency of the power distribution network,”

Meralco vice president for head utility economics Larry Fernandez said.

Smart grids and advanced metering infrastructure are being considered by Meralco to further reduce system loss and improve service quality.

Passing to consumers part of system loss follows Republic Act 7832 and the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Fernandez maintained.

Lower power bills

Power rates in the Visayas are expected to decrease after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) suspended the collection of excessive line loss and congestion cost charges, Rep. Marcelino Libanan said yesterday.

“We expect refunds to consumers who saw their electricity bills surge by anywhere from P2 to P5.99 per kilowatt-hour because of the erroneous pass-on of excessive charges,” he said.

Based on Eastern Samar Electric Cooperative Inc.’s estimates, excessive charges passed to consumers in Eastern Visayas have accumulated to about P1.55 billion since January.

On Aug. 13, the ERC ordered corrective measures after finding the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market had been incorrectly calculating the congestion component of electricity prices in certain situations.

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