May 10, 2018 | 9:34 pm
THE Energy Regulatory Commission
(ERC) has approved applications by energy companies for capital expenditure
(capex) projects amounting to around P1.15 billion as of April, the agency said
on Thursday, citing its report to the President.
Agnes T. Devanadera, ERC chairperson
and chief executive officer, said the past four months had been “truly
challenging, but we were able to achieve significant accomplishments with the
valuable contributions of the Commissioners.”
She described the accelerated
disposition of cases and issues lodged before the agency in the past four
months as “meaningful milestones” that had been achieved “with the continuing
guidance and support from his (the President’s) office.”
In December, the Office of the
Ombudsman ordered the suspension of four ERC commissioners, along with the
previous ERC chairman, in connection with the revised implementation date of
the rules governing competitive selection process (CSP), which it said favored
a few power supply contracts.
In February, the Court of Appeals
issued a 60-day temporary restraining order against the suspension. The same
court granted in April a petition by the four commissioners for an injunction
against the suspension, allowing them to continue working while the case
against them is pending.
Aside from the P1,145,598,966.67 for
seven capex approvals, which have corresponding permit fees of P8,591,992.25,
the ERC said it had also approved 16 power supply agreements, 25 decisions and
show cause orders.
The ERC said it has developed an
online platform with the assistance of the World Bank to streamline and
digitize work processes, including the filing of applications.
“The ERC issued policies that would
reduce the retail rate of electricity at the distribution utility level,
upgrade the standards for distribution management, and protect consumer
welfare,” it said.
It cited the relevant issuances to
include the rules on system loss cap for distribution utilities and the
performance incentive scheme; a resolution adopting the amendments to the rules
for the distribution for net settlement surplus; a resolution approving the
Philippine distribution code’s 2017 edition; and rules supplementing the
switching and billing process and adopting a disconnection policy for
contestable customers.
It said the agency’s organizational
structure and system had also been improved with the revamp of the department
in charge of the hiring of personnel. — Victor V. Saulon
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