The Energy Regulatory Commission said it is hoping the Supreme Court will soon resolve the issues surrounding the retail competition and open access regime in the energy sector.
“Our prayer is that this shall be resolved, one way or another because if it is not resolved, we cannot also act,” ERC chairperson Agnes Devanadera said.
The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining on Feb 21, 2017 stopping the Energy Department, the ERC and its agents from implementing the RCOA rules and regulations that mandate the mandatory migration of contestable customers.
The DoE and ERC earlier allowed large power users to choose their own suppliers starting Feb. 26, 2017 under the RCOA regime, but this became the subject of the TRO.
The Supreme Court issued the TRO on DOE Circular No. DC2015-06-0010, Series of 2015 and ERC Resolution Nos. 5, 10, 11 and 28, Series of 2016.
Representatives from Ateneo de Manila University, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Marikina Riverbanks Development Corp. and San Beda College Alabang asked the SC to issue the TRO on the mandatory migration aspect of RCOA and eligibility of distribution utilities to participate as suppliers.
“We are hoping that it can be acted upon because the SC undertook reorganization,” Devanadera said.
The Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines earlier urged authorities to end the regulatory uncertainty that clouded the electricity market by moving full steam with RCOA.
“Having RCOA moving again will definitely enhance competition at WESM [Wholesale Electricity Spot Market]. We have received inquiries from several potential contestable customers who consume more than 750 kilowatts if they can already register. They want to benefit from lower electricity prices that retail electricity suppliers can offer. It’s time we push ahead with the full implementation of the Epira [Electric Power Industry Reform Act,” said IEMOP president Francis Saturnino Juan.
IEMOP took over the operations of WESM, the country’s trading floor of electricity, from the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. in September.
The move seeks to ensure the independence of the market operator from the government. IEMOP was mandated to pursue the WESM objective to have a transparent, fair, competitive and reliable market for the trading of electricity throughout the Philippines.
Juan said that with the full implementation of Epira, RCOA could be brought down to the level of household consumers.
“With RCOA, every household will soon have the power to choose the lowest cost electricity supplier and generate savings from their hard-earned pesos,” said Juan.