THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is aiming to finish in the next 18 months up to 640 pending applications for power supply agreements (PSAs), while putting on hold some that have been elevated for Supreme Court resolution, its chairman said.
“We are upbeat for 2019 that we can deliver as much. Much of the work is housekeeping,” ERC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Agnes VST Devanadera told reporters on Tuesday ahead of a hearing at the House of Representatives.
She said the commission was supposed to start resolving the PSAs in January, but had to first focus on pending motions that are required in order to clear the agreements. The number is also a running total because the ERC continues to receive new applications.
Her optimism this year comes after the ERC spent much of last year without a quorum to decide on many of the pending cases. The commission needs a majority vote of the four commissioners and its chairman on rate-setting cases such as PSAs.
Aside from the PSAs, the commission has to resolve applications that are confidential in nature of around 200 cases, along with filings for point-to-point transmission lines, and capital expenditure programs by power distribution utilities.
“We strengthened the ad hoc committees,” Ms. Devanadera said, adding that each commissioner had each been assigned to handle a committee to allow a reduction in the time spent in handling pending cases.
“Whatever they will finish at ad hoc level they present to the commission with minimum discussion,” she added.
She said further slowing the commission’s work was the retirement of two commissioners last year, with their replacements not coming immediately.
“We have new commissioners. We have to hear their sides and their comments. Our timeline is affected if we have new members. They will not sign just like that, that would not be fair,” she said.
Ms. Devanadera said among the pending cases where decisions had been deferred are the PSAs involving Manila Electric Co. (Meralco). These deals had been questioned by some sectors and their resolution had been elevated before the Supreme Court.
“Right now, the sense of the commission is to wait because the case in the Supreme Court has been included in the calendar several times already. So it’s moving and we’re hoping that the Supreme Court will really dispose of that,” she said. — Victor V. Saulon

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