MANILA, Philippines—State-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) said it would resume before the end of the year the process of selling the remaining government-owned power plants and contracted capacities.
The agency’s privatization plans were put on hold earlier to allow the Department of Energy to review the privatization process and the conduct of the previous auctions.
Psalm president Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said the agency would push through with the privatization program soon although it would continue taking guidance from the Department of Energy.
Ledesma said that although the review by the technical working group is still ongoing, Psalm decided to proceed with the bidding for the management of the government’s contracted capacities for the 149-megawatt Naga power complex within the year.
“Subject to confirmation by the Psalm board, we are hoping to conduct the bidding before the end of the year to meet the last precondition to the implementation of open access and retail competition,” he said.
He disclosed that Psalm had already pre-qualified four bidders but declined to name them. Earlier, however, Pacifica Inc. and diversifying conglomerate San Miguel Corp. had expressed interest in bidding for the Naga independent power producers administrator (IPPA) contract.
Ledesma said Psalm also intended to push through with the bidding for Power Barges 101, 102, 103 and 104 and for the IPPA contract for the 640-MW Unified Leyte geothermal power complex in the first quarter next year.
Psalm said it also needed to schedule the bidding for the IPPAs for the contracted capacities of the 782-MW Caliraya-Botokan-Kalayaan hydropower plants, the 100-MW Western Mindanao Power Corp., the 50-MW Southern Philippines Power Corp., the 200-MW Mindanao coal-fired plant, the 92.52-MW Mt. Apo 1 and 2 geothermal power plants, and the 165-MW Casecnan hydroelectric plant.
In the meantime, the privatization of the other remaining power plants, including the Agus-Pulangui hydro complex and the 850-MW Sucat facility, will depend on the directions to be set by the DOE, the PSALM board or Congress.
“The sale of the Agus-Pulangui power plants, for instance, will be conducted in consultation with Congress. The Sucat plant, meanwhile, may be recommissioned by the DOE as part of its Energy Reform Agenda,” PSALM explained. –Amy R. Remo, Philippine Daily Inquirer
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