Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) is taking another major step toward a more digital power network, deploying advanced metering and communications technology designed to give the utility a clearer view of what is happening across its low-voltage distribution system.
The technology, known as Advanced Metering Infrastructure with High-Speed Power Line Carrier Communication (AMI-HPLC), allows smart meters to communicate using existing power lines.
Meralco says the approach can provide more timely information about conditions closer to customers—information that could help detect outages, verify restoration, monitor system losses, track transformer loading and improve energy balancing.
The development comes as the country’s largest electricity distributor prepares for a more complicated energy landscape involving rooftop solar, electric vehicles, battery storage and other distributed energy resources.
From reading meters to seeing the grid
Traditional electricity meters primarily measure consumption.
Smart meters, by contrast, can communicate information between the customer and the utility, creating a much richer stream of operational data.
Meralco’s AMI-HPLC approach is designed to push that visibility deeper into the low-voltage network by using existing electrical lines as a communications pathway.
That could allow the utility to obtain more timely information about conditions in parts of the distribution network that have historically been harder to monitor in detail.
The practical implications are significant.
If the system identifies an outage or abnormal condition more quickly, Meralco can potentially respond faster. Data from smart meters can also help determine whether service has actually been restored and provide information useful for analyzing losses and network performance.
A planned control center is next
Meralco’s smart-meter strategy is also connected to its planned Grid-Edge Operations and Control Center (GEOCC).
The proposed facility is intended to consolidate information coming from the grid edge and give operators a more comprehensive picture of the distribution system.
The goal is faster and more informed operational decision-making as the network becomes increasingly decentralized.
Power Philippines reported that Meralco intends to use the expanded grid-edge information as a foundation for the future GEOCC.
In practical terms, this means the meter at a customer’s home or business could become part of a much larger digital information system—not merely a device used to calculate a monthly electricity bill.
Why solar, EVs and batteries make this more urgent
Electricity networks are becoming more complicated because electricity is no longer flowing only in one direction.
A traditional distribution model generally moves electricity from large generating facilities through transmission and distribution networks toward customers.
But rooftop solar can allow customers to generate electricity themselves. Batteries can store and discharge power. Electric vehicles add potentially significant new electricity demand.
These technologies can create more dynamic, and sometimes two-way, power flows.
Meralco says greater grid-edge visibility will help prepare its network for the continued growth of rooftop solar, EVs and battery energy storage systems.
The timing also coincides with a broader push for rooftop solar in the Philippines. The Department of Energy recently said it is strengthening implementation of the Net-Metering Program to encourage qualified consumers to generate renewable electricity and export excess power to the grid for bill credits.
That makes accurate, timely information from the distribution network increasingly important.
Meralco is targeting millions of smart meters
The AMI-HPLC development is part of a much larger smart-meter program.
Meralco’s 2026 corporate disclosures say preparatory activities for a large-scale AMI rollout have been completed, with the company targeting 11 million smart meters over the next 10 years.
The utility says AMI will enable real-time monitoring of electricity usage, faster outage detection and improved grid visibility.
There are also supplier agreements supporting the rollout.
In February 2026, Hubbell’s Aclara Meters Philippines announced a two-year agreement with Meralco covering approximately 72,000 smart meters for the initial phase of the utility’s AMI program. The company described the broader program as covering about 12 million endpoints.
Separately, Meralco partnered with US-based Itron for an initial AMI deployment involving 73,000 endpoints, with plans for expansion across its franchise area.
The differing figures reflect different descriptions of the program—Meralco’s corporate target refers to 11 million smart meters over 10 years, while supplier announcements have referred to broader endpoint coverage. They should not be treated as identical measures.
The technology could also help with outages and system losses
One of the most immediate potential benefits of greater meter visibility is outage management.
Meralco says AMI can help identify interruptions, verify restoration and provide more detailed information about the network.
That complements other digital systems already being deployed by the utility.
Meralco has described its broader smart-grid program as involving both Advanced Metering Infrastructure and Advanced Network Automation. Its network-management systems integrate technologies such as SCADA, outage management and distribution management to improve situational awareness and outage response.
The company has also been investing heavily in distribution infrastructure. Its 2026 disclosures say Meralco invested more than ₱24 billion in capital expenditures to expand, upgrade and storm-harden its distribution network.
Smart metering therefore represents one component of a much larger modernization effort.
The Philippines already has updated rules for smart meters
Meralco’s initiative also fits within a broader regulatory shift.
In November 2025, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved amended rules governing Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
The updated framework covers technical standards, cybersecurity, data privacy and interoperability while simplifying the regulatory approval process for AMI capital expenditures.
The ERC said AMI can support functions including automated meter reading, outage detection, remote service management and more timely access to electricity-consumption information.
The rules also establish safeguards for consumer data and cybersecurity.
For customers, the ERC says the technology can provide greater transparency over electricity consumption and reduce reliance on estimated meter readings.
Smart meters could change what customers see, too
The impact will not be limited to Meralco’s control room.
More detailed meter data can eventually give customers better visibility into how and when they consume electricity.
That could become increasingly useful as households adopt solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles and other energy technologies.
Instead of simply receiving a monthly bill, customers could have access to much more detailed information about their consumption patterns.
The ERC’s amended AMI rules specifically provide for consumer access to near-real-time usage information through a Consumer Meter Data Channel, subject to the applicable standards and safeguards.
But the rollout will take years
The transformation will not happen overnight.
Meralco’s target is a 10-year smart-meter deployment program, meaning customers will not all receive smart meters simultaneously.
The utility is expected to progressively expand deployment while integrating meters, communications networks and data-management systems into its existing grid infrastructure.
That gradual approach is important because AMI is more than simply replacing an old electricity meter.
It requires communications infrastructure, data systems, cybersecurity protections, interoperability and operational integration.
The ERC’s rules specifically require utilities to demonstrate technical capabilities, cybersecurity compliance, data-management arrangements and consumer communication plans as part of AMI implementation.
What Meralco is ultimately building
The bigger story is not simply the installation of smarter meters.
Meralco is moving toward a distribution network that can sense, communicate and respond with much greater precision.
AMI-HPLC provides data from the low-voltage edge.
The planned GEOCC is intended to consolidate that information.
Other automation and distribution-management systems can then use the information to support operational decisions.
And the entire architecture is being developed as electricity generation and consumption become more distributed.
For Meralco, the challenge will be turning that massive volume of data into faster outage response, better asset management, more efficient operations and a network capable of accommodating new technologies.
For consumers, the longer-term question is equally important: whether a smarter grid will eventually translate into more reliable service, better information about electricity use and a smoother transition to solar, batteries and electric vehicles.
Meralco’s latest AMI-HPLC push suggests that the next generation of the Philippine power grid is being built not only with new wires and substations—but with a digital layer designed to make the network increasingly visible from the customer’s meter all the way back to the utility’s control center.
