About the Author

Delgado was appointed by President Fidel V Ramos as the CEO of the National Power Corporation, to help address the country’s power shortage problem in the 1990s.

He has been an advisor to a number of major power industry players both here and abroad. He is currently teaching at the College of Economics and Management of UPLB. He loves wine, travel, jazz, and technology. He is married and together with his wife Joy, they have four children and six grandchildren.

Latest from the Author

2 Jun 2025

7:37AM

INSIDER VIEW | The magic of rate setting: Why power rates are high

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

The "magic" behind the purported "scientific" CAPM, the Building Blocks Approach (BBA), and the Performance-Based Rate (PBR) setting methodology are financial and accounting instruments that tend to confuse and obfuscate the public but ultimately lead to higher power rates.

26 May 2025

10:19AM

INSIDER VIEW | How to calculate the least cost of equity?

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

ERC’s use of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) in calculating the cost of equity of utilities will result in an arbitrary number. We must ask this: How do we know if the resulting cost of equity represents the “least cost” or , as the SC puts it, “fair and reasonable”?

7 May 2025

10:35AM

INSIDER VIEW | The Iberian blackout: Lessons for the Philippines

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

At 12:35 p.m. on Monday, April 28, 2025, the entire Iberian Peninsula lost electrical power. The outage disrupted internet access and communication, transportation, building facilities like elevators, and many other modern conveniences

7 Apr 2025

6:14PM

INSIDER VIEW: Implication of the Supreme Court decision on ODRC asset valuation

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

A Supreme Court decision finds the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) use of the Optimized Depreciated Replacement Cost (ODRC) in valuing utility assets "fell short of the statutory standard that reasonable rates should provide electricity to the consuming public in the 'least cost manner'"

10 Mar 2025

12:18PM

INSIDER VIEW: Supreme Court rules ERC ratemaking methodology wrong

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

The Supreme Court voided ERC's use of the ODRC methodology, ruling that it fails to meet the “least cost manner” requirement for rate-setting as mandated by law and is “almost irrational.”

3 Mar 2025

11:36AM

INSIDER VIEW: Path to nuclear energy is challenging, but upsides are compelling

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

Nuclear energy should be a part of the solution to the energy challenges in the future. Those opposing nuclear power for safety reasons should already set aside these fears as empirical evidence shows nuclear power plants are safe.

13 Feb 2025

3:34AM

INSIDER VIEW: NGCP critics — Barking up the wrong tree (Last of 3 parts)

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

I believe that State Grid of China Corp. does not have any operating control over NGCP. What evidence do I have? None other than the fact that I know the senior operating people at NGCP, and they are excellent professionals.

12 Feb 2025

7:20AM

INSIDER VIEW: NGCP critics — Barking up the wrong tree (2nd of 3 parts)

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

I painted this scenario: Disparate generators bidding their gross capacities into the WESM and setting prices through their customers' “nodes.” This scenario meant that generators with long-term power sales contracts with utilities would have to bid their entire contract into the WESM and pay market fees for the electricity dispatched.

11 Feb 2025

8:15AM

INSIDER VIEW: NGCP critics — Barking up the wrong tree (1st of 3 parts)

By: Guido Alfredo A. Delgado

The past few weeks have seen vitriolic criticism of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). From what I have seen, three key issues stand out: Chinese control, excessive profits, and delays in project implementation.