For a more equipped, energy-secure power industry
It can be said that energy, if properly sourced, produced, and distributed to industries and households, is a vital enabler of economic growth and even social progress. This would not be possible, however, without a fairly competitive, developed, and sound electricity industry, which the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is mandated to promote.
Overseeing 121 electric cooperatives, 20 private distribution utilities, 119 retail electricity suppliers, 590 power plants, and a wholesale electricity spot market, the ERC has a significant role of ensuring continuous electric service for the Philippine population and economy.
Speaking at the 2023 Philippine Electric Power Industry Forum (PEPIF) held by the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines, Atty. Monalisa C. Dimalanta, chief executive and chairperson of the ERC, recently discussed the ERC’s regulatory programs for the electric power industry and its “efforts in developing and enforcing regulations in the face of evolving power systems.”
According to Ms. Dimalanta, the ERC’s efforts and initiatives, which aims to foster the development of the emerging power system, as well as realize energy democracy, include Net-Metering Program, Retail Competition and Retail Aggregation, Green Energy Auction Program, Green Energy Option, Distributed Energy Resource (DER), Competitive Selection Process (CSP), and Microgrid.
The aforementioned programs were the ERC’s way in helping the power sector transition from being a “unidirectional and highly centralized system” to a “system that is increasingly becoming more multi-direction and more complex.”
“Last year was quite enlightening and full of valuable lessons that we should not put to waste. We have seen the vulnerabilities for our system in practical terms, especially for the islands that are not connected to the system. The dependence on fossil fuel-based facilities have translated to constant threats of brownout and lack of supply. This tells us that there remains a lot of opportunities in the off-grid areas for [renewable energy] proponents,” Ms. Dimalanta was quoted as saying in a statement.
The commission, as the country’s sole independent electric power industry regulator, also has an important role to take in ensuring energy security in the country. Ms. Dimalanta echoes this in a lecture she previously delivered about the country’s journey in energy security in the National Defense College of the Philippines back in February.
According to Ms. Dimalanta, the four major elements of energy security are availability, affordability, efficiency, and environmental stewardship; understanding these elements forges the path towards realizing energy democracy.
To best maintain the availability of energy supply is to use a variety of energy services, continuously supporting energy systems that have the ability to easily recover from any disruptions.
“Minimizing, if not altogether removing, reliance on foreign supply of fuel, determines the country’s self-sufficiency,” Ms. Dimalanta was quoted as saying in the ERC’s statement published last March on its website.
Affordability, meanwhile, remains a continuing challenge amid the government’s continuing efforts to provide energy access to millions of households that remain unserved.
Efficiency in the energy sector, Ms. Dimalanta continued, demands both improvement in the performance of energy equipment, as well as an alteration of consumer attitudes, which is said to be effected through an increase of confidence in clean, affordable, and sustainable energy.
Due to the increasing demand for sustainable energy, Ms. Dimalanta pointed out that environmental stewardship is the best way to protect the environment as well as future generations. — Angela Kiara S. Brillantes
