THE SENATE aims to review the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to allow for the faster approval of power supply deals, a Philippine senator said on Thursday.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said there is a need to give the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) authority to speed up the approval of power supply deals amid constant blackouts in the country.
“We are also thinking of carving out a charter for the ERC, making it more efficient and giving it more powers in terms of regulating it,” Mr. Gatchalian told a forum at the Senate.
“One of the things we want to fine-tune, is the speed in which the ERC approves power supply contracts.”
He cited constant delays in these deals that often lead to a lack of power generation in the country.
In his third address to Congress, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. called for a review of the law to address issues hounding the energy sector, particularly on high prices.
Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevarra told senators in May that 4,000 megawatts of power may be added to the country’s power generation capacity by the end of the year.
She said some power plants that eye setting up shop this year are falling behind in the application process but are ready to start operations. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
