Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has joined forces with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Quezon City government to launch a landmark initiative aimed at expanding the use of renewable energy (RE) in Metro Manila.
The resignation of Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chair Monalisa Dimalanta last Monday has left many people asking: "What happened?" Her resignation will mean there will only be two commissioners left with the ERC - not enough to run the country's most crucial electricity regulatory body.
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”?
“We find that respondent gravely abused her discretion when she refused to [withdraw] from the proceedings a quo despite her evident bias and partiality against the petitioner,” the decision stated.
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'"
One of the proposed amendments to the law that created the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) requires commission members to be competent in specific fields — energy, law, economics, finance, commerce, and engineering. However, I think this requirement is not enough.
A recent House hearing on National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) highlighted three deep-seated issues plaguing the power industry. These challenges, which extend beyond NGCP's capacity to address on its own, underscore the urgent need for a reboot of the government’s regulatory framework.