The Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is preparing for a pilot project that will deploy at least 5,000 smart electricity meters to prove the technology is viable for post-paid accounts.
The company said this pilot will be unique as the meters can cater to both prepaid and post-paid customers.
Ronnie Aperocho, Meralco chief operating officer, said at the sidelines of the Giga Summit in Makati City yesterday the company is yet to decide where to roll out the pilot project.
The company is eyeing either a greenfield township development or in existing areas within its franchise where infrastructure for the technology is in place.
The deployment of smart meters is part of Meralco’s planned Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program that will enable the company to automatically locate power outages and other problems in its franchise area through a system control center, among others.
AMI projects are also being encouraged to promote demand side management and energy efficiency. AMI hastools or services that empower consumers to manage their consumption while helping improve in the reliability of a network.
Aperocho said 5,000 smart meters is the minimum number to make the pilot viable.
Aperocho said Pasig City and Sampaloc district in Manila have the infrastructure to accommodate the smart meters pilot
At present, there are over 100,000 active smart meters in its franchise area, all for prepaid accounts.
