Meralco subsidiary partners with Korean firm
By Myrna M. Velasco – June 29, 2022, 3:31 PM
from Manila Bulletin
The Meralco Industrial Engineering Services Corporation (Miescor), a subsidiary of power utility giant Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has partnered with South Korean firm Seochang Electric Communication Co. Ltd. for a research and development (R&D) project that could scale up the deployment of clean energy technologies in the Philippines.
According to Miescor, the R&D initiative is being pursued through a research grant extended by the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP). Other partners to this undertaking are South Korean entities PMGROW Corp., Korea Testing Laboratory, and Korea Energy Convergence Association.
Daegu-headquartered Seochang is specializing in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) as well as the construction of various energy storage systems. In particular, the Korean firm’s business relationship with Meralco as a supplier of watt-hour meters already spans more than a decade.
Under the agreement, “Miescor and Seochang will establish an on-grid hybrid power service, involving a 50-kilowatt peak solar photovoltaic (PV) system and a 300-kilowatt-hour energy storage system (ESS) which will serve a Gawad Kalinga community in Cavite.” That undertaking is seen benefitting around 200 households in Barangay Hugo Perez in Trece Martires City.
As explained by Miescor, “the project will power most commonly used facilities such as the community’s street lights as well as its multi-purpose hall and development center. It will also serve as a potential energy source for electric vehicles in the area.”
Project timeline specifies construction kick-off by September this year and the targeted completion will be after two months – or around November; and full commercial operations will be next year.
“A performance evaluation and maintenance system will be established prior to full operations targeted in the third quarter of 2023,” the Meralco subsidiary-firm noted.
Through this project, it was emphasized that “the groups involved aim to develop a sustainable energy network by utilizing and optimizing used electric vehicle (EV) batteries which are suitable for local electric distribution facilities, while determining ways to provide clean and reliable electricity service to communities.”
Seochang President Alika Yoon indicated that their partnership with Miescor has been an outcome of their search “for the most appropriate and sustainable project that we can be a part of in our Asian neighbors.”
He stressed that “this project in the Philippines is, in our opinion, the most deserving one. We fully support this and look forward to expand further to other areas in the Philippine archipelago.”
Miescor President and Chief Executive Officer Ronnie L. Aperocho similarly stated that “this project does not only support One Meralco Group’s sustainability goals, but also, this project most importantly, contributes to a cleaner and more eco-friendly environment, provides electricity to the community, and creates livelihood opportunities.”
