Meralco says power supply ready for Manila ASEAN summit and El Niño
The electricity distributor says venue checks are complete and standby crews are in position, with enough power contracted for its 8.3 million customers.
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) says it can meet electricity demand during the 49th ASEAN Summit in Manila and is preparing for a potentially stronger El Niño that could increase consumption and rates.
Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Forum, Meralco spokesperson Joe Zaldarriaga said inspections and validation of summit venues had been completed. The company had also obtained the security and access clearances needed for staff assigned to those locations.
Zaldarriaga said standby teams and equipment had been positioned to respond quickly to outages or other electricity-related emergencies. Meralco was on full alert, with crews available around the clock, he said.
Preparations also involved coordination with the Department of Energy’s Task Force on Energy Resiliency, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, according to Zaldarriaga.
On El Niño, Zaldarriaga said Meralco had contracted enough electricity for its 8.3 million customers and was maintaining the readiness of its facilities. State weather bureau PAGASA had earlier warned that El Niño could persist until March or even June 2027.
