October 11, 2018 | 12:07 am
ELECTRIC cooperatives have responded
to the Energy secretary’s support for Solar Para sa Bayan Corp.’s bid for a
nationwide microgrid franchise, in a bluntly worded statement that calls him
out for being allegedly biased against them.
The cooperatives, through various
industry organizations, said they had never seen an Energy secretary “who’s so
subservient and biased to private business interests.”
Their statement came after Department
of Energy (DoE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi last week described Solar Para sa
Bayan, a company led by Leandro L. Leviste, as a “positive disruptive”
development that could result in a change in the way electric cooperatives are
serving unenergized areas in the countryside.
Mr. Leviste, the son of Senator
Loren B. Legarda, stands to benefit from House Bill 8179, which seeks to grant
a non-exclusive legislative franchise to Solar Para sa Bayan. The measure is
opposed by solar energy developers and electric cooperatives. A number of House
representatives have also called for further review and deliberation on the
bill.
“Mr. Cusi is mouthing the untested
and false claims of an entity that has no proven track record in the power
industry but is in the process of acquiring a legislative franchise because of
political backers,” the cooperatives said.
The statement was attributed to
leaders of National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives
and Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, two of the largest
groups of electric cooperatives in the country.
They criticized Mr. Cusi for
allegedly acting as the spokesperson of Mr. Leviste “while denigrating the
decades-long contributions of electric cooperatives to rural development, as
evidenced by the emergence of industries and employment opportunities
contributing to the robust growth in the countryside.”
Separately, Philippine Independent
Power Producers Association, Inc. (PIPPA) said in a statement that while
electrification is a valid concern, granting a nationwide franchise to any
entity is not the proper means to achieving this purpose.
While it supports the common goal of
nationwide electrification and affordable electricity, PIPPA said Republic Act
9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) “provides that
generation of electric power does not require a national franchise and should
be competitive and open.”
“As such, [Solar Para sa Bayan’s]
means of entry into the generation sector is already provided for by the EPIRA.
In fact, electrification to unserved and underserved areas are already being
done without a franchise,” it said, citing as example the company itself and
other power generation companies that have been coordinating with the DoE for
such purpose.
“PIPPA believes that the same may be
achieved, without any undue favor or harm, simply through the proper
implementation of the EPIRA. The unbridled authority to operate at any
capacity, of whatever kind, and in any part of the Philippines, is far too
great a privilege for any entity,” the association said. — Victor V. Saulon
No comments:
Post a Comment