Meralco Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Engr. Ronnie L. Aperocho has underscored the need to transform
electricity distribution into a strategic national infrastructure given the rise of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) like rooftop solar, batteries, and electric vehicles.
During The Manila Times Editorial Boardroom Roundtable called “EPIRA at 25: What needs to change to secure the Philippines’ energy future?” on September 11, Aperocho cited the evolving Philippine energy landscape and characterized the need for the country’s distribution sector to go beyond a “wires and metering” business to meet fast-evolving energy industry and consumer requirements.
“We need to prepare for the transition from the traditional utility model into the distribution system operator model,” he said. “It is therefore incumbent upon us in the distribution sector to modernize and digitalize the grid and make it smarter through the implementation of cutting-edge smart grid programs.”
For Aperocho, policy reforms concerning the energy sector should move beyond the goal of “least cost electricity” to “least cost, reliable, resilient and sustainable energy” as he emphasized that “affordability cannot come at the expense of reliability.”
The official joined industry leaders in discussing the Philippines’ energy future, which was held to mark the silver year of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA). The broader discussion highlighted relevant industry developments and reforms and raised the need for responsive policies and their effective implementation to further advance energy security, affordability, and reliability.
Other industry leaders who joined in the discussion are Energy Regulatory Commission Chair and CEO Atty. Francis Saturnino Juan (right), Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Executive Director and General Manager Janeene Depay-Colingan, Philippine Electricity Market Corp. President and WESM Governance Officer Atty. Elvin Hayes Nidea, Partners for Affordable and Reliable Energy Chief Advocate Officer Nicolas Satur Jr., and representatives from the private sector.
