The Department of Energy said over the weekend the proposed more transparent competitive selection process or bidding will be more responsive to the needs of distribution utilities.
It said it would continue with public consultations on the CSP for the power requirement of distribution utilities this week.
The agency conducted the first of its series of public consultations on the CSP policy on April 13. The new policy aims to streamline the CSP, highlighting the responsibilities of the DOE, Energy Regulatory Commission and National Electrification Administration under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.
It is expected to be more adaptable and flexible to the needs of the DUs to ensure efficient, timely and transparent procurement of power supply for the electricity consumers.
“The DOE is committed to our mandate, vision and mission to improve the quality of life of the Filipinos by formulating and implementing policies and programs to ensure sustainable, stable, secure, sufficient, accessible and reasonably-priced energy,” DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara said.
She said DUs, as provided in the EPIRA, are mandated to provide quality, affordable, sustainable and reliable supply to its captive market at the least cost manner.
Guevara said the CSP policy was crafted in close coordination with the ERC and the NEA to ensure harmony and consistency of the implementation at different stages of the process.
The ERC will then issue the implementing guidelines in the conduct of and the evaluation of power supply agreements once DOE issues the new policy.
The DOE said DUs should submit a well-prepared distribution development plan and power supply procurement plan which would be the references of the agency and NEA in the issuance of the certificate of conformity in terms of the contract quantity and cooperation period.
The policy also empowers the electricity consumers as all the information at the different stages of the CSP will be posted in the CSP portal of the DOE website.
It said consumers would have a better understanding on the basis of the largest component of the electricity bill, which is the generation cost.
The DOE set the next public consultations on April 17 and 19, 2023.
“The DOE assures all the stakeholders of the power industry that this policy initiative is geared towards achieving greater accountability and responsibility on the part of the government and the concerned electric power industry participants in serving electricity consumers who pay the cost of the power supply,” it said.
