The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said more than a hundred Mindanao power companies qualified for participation at the retail competition and open access (RCOA) program.
This means 239 minimum-scale customers were free to choose the power companies they require for their needs instead of being forced to be served by so-called default power companies.
The ERC said the RCOA is consistent with those in Luzon and the Visayas where peak consumer demand averaged 500 kilowatts (kW) the past 12 months, allowing Mindanao consumers to access any licensed/authorized electricity supplier on a voluntary basis.
Under the RCOA, qualified customers freely choose their electricity supplier and not be served by default companies.
The ERC said that as of March 20, 239 end-users in Mindanao qualified for RCOA participation with this threshold.
According to the ERC, only 102 end-users in Mindanao qualify were the threshold set at 1 megawatt or higher.
“The commission views the commencement of RCOA in Mindanao with immense optimism. We will continue to support and ensure that customers in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao exercise meaningfully their power to choose suppliers as a way to realize reasonable price of electricity,” said Monalisa Dimalanta, ERC chairperson, in a statement.
“Over the next few months, the ERC will conduct an aggressive information campaign to capacitate our contestable customers with the ability to effectively transact in the retail market and properly discern the best terms of power supply suited to their needs,” Dimalanta said.
