The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) through its retail electricity supplier, Vantage Energy, is set to power 35 key properties of the Gokongwei Group across the country.
The parties have signed a supply agreement covering properties of Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC), Robinsons Supermarket Corp., and Universal Robina Corp., Meralco said in a statement issued on Monday.
Meralco said Vantage Energy supplies clients outside of Meralco’s franchise area, which is basically the entire Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
Lance Gokongwei, JG Summit president and chief executive officer, said with a portion of the power supply from Vantage Energy coming from renewable energy, the partnership plays a crucial role in supporting the sustainable operations of his group.
“This commitment to renewable energy empowers the Gokongwei Group to wholeheartedly pursue our sustainability targets, knowing that we have strong, forward-thinking partners aligned with our environmental stewardship goals,” Gokongwei said.
“Our partnership spans over half a decade now with contestable properties recently added – some of which are already transitioning to renewable energy supply. This expansion reflects our aligned commitment to transforming shared values into meaningful, measurable progress toward a sustainable future,” Ernesto Cabral, Vantage Energy president, said.
Last week, Meralco, through its other RES, MPower, renewed and expanded its partnership with the Gokongwei Group.
Under the new contract, MPower expanded its service to a number of JG Summit companies, namely RLC, Cebu Pacific, Universal Robina Corp., JG Summit Olefins Corp., and RL Commercial REIT Inc.
The parties did not specify the capacity and rates involved in the partnership but highlighted that the expansion will also cover Robinsons Supermarket Corp., the supermarket chain under Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc.
Gokongwei said that MPower, Meralco’s RES for contestable customers in its franchise area, will be able to integrate 60 percent of renewable energy solutions to their current operations.
The Gokongwei-Meralco partnership started in 2013 when MPower first supplied electricity to key companies under the JG Summit umbrella.
A “contestable” customer is one that has a monthly peak demand of at least 500 kilowatts over the preceding 12 months to be able to choose its own power supplier and negotiate better terms.
