Meralco, DOE urge firms to join ILP to ensure power supply sufficiency

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) and the Department of Energy (DOE) called on companies to participate in the government's Interruptible Load Program (ILP) to help maintain adequate power supply during the warm and dry season.

In a press release on Tuesday, Meralco said that the Red Alert status which hounded the Luzon Grid for three consecutive days underscored the need for ILP participants, as it will help in preventing power interruptions within Meralco's franchise area.

The ILP, a voluntary demand-side management program, encourages large power consumers to temporarily reduce their grid load and use their generators or scale back operations when the power supply is insufficient.

“We call for your support and cooperation for the country’s objective of having continuous power supply by participating in the ILP and being part of the solution to the power supply challenges,” Irma C. Exconde, DOE Director of the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau said during a webinar organized by Meralco.

Since its inception in 2014, the ILP has been implemented 27 times in Meralco's franchise area.

Last week, the program successfully prevented power interruptions for approximately 1.9 million households, according to Meralco. 

As of April 2024, over 100 companies in Meralco's area have a total capacity of more than 500 MW available for reducing their electricity usage.

"The active participation of ILP participants in the Meralco franchise area in recent days is worth highlighting as it has greatly helped relieve pressure from the power grid, sparing thousands of small businesses and households from rotating power interruptions,” Meralco Vice President and Head for Enterprise and National Government Ma. Cecilia Domingo was quoted as saying in a release.

As of writing, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines said that the Luzon Grid is still on yellow alert with an available capacity of 14,799 MegaWatts (MW) and a peak demand of 13,690 MW — Ian Laqui