POWER DISTRIBUTOR Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) expects a 3% increase in its energy sales volume this yr, supported by the expected normalization of electricity demand as temperatures stabilize.
Meralco Senior Vice-President Ferdinand O. Geluz said the corporate is counting on a less severe “organic contraction” compared with last yr, which got here off a high base resulting from El Niño in 2024.
“For so long as hindi mag-contract as heavy as last yr ‘yung organic (demand) natin due to temperature, as service energization efforts remain consistent,” he said on the sidelines of an event last week.
For the primary quarter, Mr. Geluz said Meralco expects flattish growth in energy sales, with recovery anticipated from the second quarter onward.
“We forecasted this as early as last yr since first quarter (last yr) was the tail end of El Niño. Now we’re on the tail end of La Niña, so we expect recovery to start within the second quarter as warmer weather sets in,” he said.
For the total yr, the ability distributor recorded a virtually flat energy sales volume, with a 0.7% decline to 53,997 gigawatt-hours, affected by softer demand resulting from extreme weather, increased adoption of rooftop solar, and slower economic growth.
The distribution utility business accounted for the biggest share of Meralco’s earnings in 2025, which rose 12% to P50.6 billion, meeting its profit goal for the yr.
Meralco is the country’s largest private electric distribution utility, serving greater than 8.2 million customers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces, including Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and parts of Laguna, Batangas, Pampanga, and Quezon.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Useful Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., holds an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera