The pressing need for climate mitigation efforts is increasingly felt worldwide. In response, like-minded groups are multiplying their initiatives to accelerate their collaborations and create enabling conditions that promote climate change as the heart of everyone's agenda.
In a recent joint webinar on sustainability and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) trends in the Philippines, Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) announced a collaboration with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of the Philippines, Inc. (JCCIPI) to promote sustainable, innovative, and energy-efficient solutions in the Philippine energy industry.
“Meralco can provide expertise in the energy sector while JCCPI can contribute technological advancement and investment. This collaboration can result in sustainable energy solutions,” said Bernice Gretchel Garcia–Rama, Meralco head of Enterprise-Commercial and Conglomerates.
As the country’s largest electricity distributor, Meralco proactively works with government organizations and private sector players to achieve their sustainability goals, making it a good choice for like-minded companies that are part of JCCIPI. JCCIPI is a private and non-profit organization comprising Japanese or Japanese-related companies and organizations in the Philippines.
Meralco head of Energy Services Danilo Aquillo emphasized the power distributor’s sustainability programs, which aim to create a positive and lasting impact in the communities within its franchise area.
These include the company’s commitment to a just, orderly, and affordable transition to clean energy, which involves sourcing 1,500 megawatts (MW) of the company’s supply requirements from renewable energy and developing 1,500 MW of renewable energy projects.
In addition, Meralco is also speeding up its drive to greenify its transportation fleet by shifting 25 percent of its vehicles to electric by 2030.
On the power distribution side, Meralco Head of Enterprise-Industrial Victor L. Risma IV said Meralco is scaling up its smart grid program to achieve higher efficiency, better demand response, and more renewable energy in its expansive distribution network.
Part of this program is the adoption of IEC 61850, the latest international standard for communication protocols covering intelligent electronic devices, at its substations, the rollout of smart meters, the deployment of its advanced metering infrastructure, the implementation of a supervisory control and data acquisition system, and, in the future, the installation of a distributed energy resources management system.
These efforts are a testament to Meralco’s unwavering commitment to accelerating economic progress and empowering partners and communities by providing them with green, innovative, and energy-efficient solutions.
For its part, JCCIPI is committed to continuing to work with Meralco to create an environment that would support these sustainability efforts.
“We at JCCIPI are excited to deepen our collaboration with Meralco to drive sustainable solutions within the Philippine energy landscape. Through this partnership, we aim to harness the power of innovative technology from Japanese companies, coupled with Meralco's expertise in the energy sector, to drive sustainable solutions in the Philippines,” said Nobuo Fujii, JCCIPI vice president.
“Through our joint efforts, we aim not only to benefit Japanese companies operating in the Philippines but also to promote social responsibility by promoting energy efficiency and waste reduction. Together, we will continue to explore new avenues for sustainable development and positively impact our environment and society,” he added.
Meralco and JCCIPI pledged to continue working together to develop ESG training programs, conduct workshops and seminars, and implement more initiatives that will drive the energy efficiency, waste reduction, and social responsibility of Japanese businesses in the country.
Comments