By Danessa Rivera (The Philippine
Star) | Updated January 26, 2018 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — AboitizPower
Corp. has joined calls urging government to resolve the leadership vacuum at
the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
In a statement, AboitizPower
president and COO Antonio Moraza said a fair and functioning ERC is critical
for the energy sector to work.
“A working regulatory body balances
the welfare of the paying consumers, interests of the private investors, and
the government’s desire for reliable and ample power,” he said.
“We are appealing to the national
leadership to resolve the ERC issue as soon as possible so the commission can
get back to work and act on many pending issues awaiting their decision,” the
AboitizPower official said.
AboitizPower is working to add 500
megawatts (MW) of attributable capacity next year once it completes several
hydropower and coal-fired power plants across the country.
AboitizPower with its partner SN
Power has completed the construction of the 8.5-MW Maris Canal hydro project in
Isabela, while wholly-owned subsidiary Hedcor is nearing the completion of a
68.8-MW hydro plant in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
The company is also completing the
340-MW Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) baseload power plant in Toledo City, Cebu and
the 400-MW Pagbilao 3 baseload power plant in Quezon, which are set to start
commercially operating within the first quarter.
“We will be needing COCs
(certificates of compliance) for projects that will be completed plus a PSA
(power supply agreement) for TVI and as soon as possible for TMI (Therma Marine
Inc.),” Moraza said.
TMI operates two power barges in
Maco, Compostella Valley and Nasipit, Agusan del Norte that give Mindanao an additional
boost of power supply whenever needed.
Last month, the Office of the
Ombudsman ordered the suspension of ERC commissioners Alfredo Non, Gloria
Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana for one year
without pay for delaying the conduct of competitive bidding in securing PSAs.
The competitive selection process
(CSP) policy – which requires power utilities to undertake competitive bidding
to secure PSAs with generation companies – was supposed to start in Nov. 7,
2015, but implementation was moved to April 30, 2016 to give power
players a transition period to comply.
ERC chairperson and CEO Agnes
Devanadera said the one-year suspension order on the four commissioners would
paralyze the agency and the whole power industry with P1.59 billion worth of
pending applications before the agency.
This is because the ERC acts as a
collegial body and the presence of at least three members of the commission is
needed to constitute a quorum to adopt any ruling, order, resolution, decision
or other acts of the commission in the exercise of its quasi-judicial and
quasi-legislative functions, Devanadera said.
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) had
already sought for the speedy resolution of the ERC vacuum. Without the
regulatory functions of ERC, Meralco president Oscar Reyes said.
The power industry would be put at
risk since it would not be able to ensure power supply and security moving
forward.
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