The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) has started the competitive selection process (CSP) for 1,200 megawatts (MW) of baseload requirement to ensure uninterrupted supply for customers.
This followed the Department of Energy’s (DOE) issuance of a certificate of conformity on the terms of reference (TOR) for the 15-year power supply agreement/s (PSA/s) which will be effective once approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
Through its bids and awards committee for PSAs, Meralco called on interested power generation companies to participate in the CSP, with the submission of expression of interest due on 11 December 2023.
The pre-bid conference is scheduled on 18 December 2023 while the bid submission deadline is set on 23 January 2024.
The TOR states that pursuant to the DOE’s advisory on the conduct of CSP for power supply using indigenous natural gas as transition fuel, “power suppliers with natural-gas fired power plants are highly encouraged to participate in the bidding”.
It further provides that operations effective date for the initial 810 MW (net) would be on 26 December 2023, while additional 200 MW (net) and 190 MW (net) would be effective by 26 February and 26 March 2024, respectively.
This CSP, which was based on Meralco’s DOE-approved power supply procurement plan, is meant to meet the power distributor’s future capacity requirements, including the 1,000 MW (net) supply that was covered by its PSAs with change in circumstance cases that are pending resolution.
