Nine power generators bidding to supply Meralco

NINE GENERATION companies have expressed their interest in bidding for supply contracts with Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) in 2024 and 2025, Meralco said.

As of Oct. 23, Meralco received nine letters of interest in the utility’s competitive selection process (CSP) to supply 1,800 megawatts (MW) of power.

The power firms are offering a combined total of 3,600 MW of electricity, according to Ronnie L. Aperocho, Meralco head of networks, in a virtual briefing Monday.

“Some submitted 600 MW, the others submitted a minimum of 150 MW,” he added.

At the briefing, the listed firm’s generation arm Meralco Powergen Corp. (MGen) said its subsidiary Atimonan One Energy, Inc. (A1E), developer of a 1,200 MW coal-fired power plant in the Quezon Province, will join the bidding process.

“We are lining up for the 1,800 MW CSP of Meralco,” MGen President Rogelio L. Singson said.

Meralco is restarting its bidding round after declaring its first round in September 2019 a failure as only A1E submitted an offer.

The deadline for expressions of interest is Nov. 12, and a pre-bid conference is scheduled on Dec. 17.

Qualified bidders will be determined in February.

Meralco’s controlling shareholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT, Inc. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Adam J. Ang