ACEN Corporation, First Gen Corporation, San Miguel Global Holdings Corporation (SMGP), and subsidiaries of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) are looking to bid for the 200-megawatt (MW) renewable energy (RE) supply needs of Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
The 15 companies that expressed interest and participated in Thursday's pre-bid conference were all major players in the country's power sector.
Ayala-led ACEN Corp. with its subsidiaries Sanmar Solar, Negros Island Solar and Sinoklan Solar Power expressed interest in meeting Meralco's renewable energy needs.
Lopez-led First Gen and its subsidiaries, including First Gen Hydro, Energy Development Corporation, Beckman Geothermal and Greencore Geothermal, also participated in the conference.
SMGP's subsidiaries Mariveles Power Generation, GNPower Kauswagen, GNPower Mariveles Energy Center and Sual Power expressed interest in joining the bid.
Aboitiz Power Corporation's subsidiaries, including AP Renewable Energy, Therma Luzon and Therma Visayas, are also expected to participate.
According to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), AboitizPower, SMGP, First Gen and ACEN were the country's leading power producers, capturing national market share last year.
Since the February 16 bid submission deadline is after the January 26 proposed effective date, Meralco said the bids will be moved forward depending on when the ERC approves the resulting power supply contract.
The four-year agreement aims to help Meralco comply with renewable portfolio standards, which require distribution utilities to source a portion of their electricity from eligible renewable energy sources.
Suppliers, whether renewable, conventional, or a combination, can meet supply requirements from their own plants or from the spot market, provided that renewable energy certificates (RECs) are guaranteed. Each REC represents one megawatt-hour of electricity generated from eligible RE sources.
“As a highly regulated entity, Meralco is fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, fairness and regulatory compliance in the CSP (competitive selection process),” said Lawrence S. Fernandez, chairman of Meralco's bidding and award committee for power supply agreements.
Meralco's controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc. Partly owned by PLDT Inc. is near. Hastings Holdings, a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, has an interest in businessworld Through the Philippine Star Group, which he controls. – Sheldeen Joy Talavera