By Sheldeen Joy Talavera, Reporter
THE SUBSIDIARIES of First Gen Corp., San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp. (SMGP), and Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) have joined the firms interested in bidding for Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco) 600-megawatt (MW) power supply contract.
“This CSP (competitive selection process) for Meralco’s baseload requirement gained the interest of the country’s major energy players, which reflects the private sector’s continuing efforts to ensure sufficient and cost-competitive supply for consumers,” Lawrence S. Fernandez, chairman of Meralco’s bids and awards committee for power supply agreements, said in a Viber message to reporters on Thursday.
The government requires distribution utilities to select the cheapest electricity supply through a competitive bid.
“We look forward to the bid submissions of these prospective bidders next month,” Mr. Fernandez said.
Eight companies expressed interest and participated in the pre-bid conference for Meralco’s 600-MW baseload supply on Thursday.
First Gas Power Corp. and First NatGas Power Corp. are subsidiaries of Lopez-led First Gen.
Mariveles Power Generation Corp. and Masinloc Power Co. Ltd. are subsidiaries of SMGP, the power arm of conglomerate San Miguel Corp.
GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. operates under the private limited partnership of Aboitiz Power Corp.’s Therma Power, Inc., AC Energy & Infrastructure Corp., and Power Partners Ltd. Co.
Other companies whose representatives attended the pre-bid conference include Therma Luzon, Inc., a subsidiary of AboitizPower; Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp., a subsidiary of Semirara Mining and Power Corp.; and Quezon Power (Philippines) Limited Co.
Last month, Meralco initiated the bidding process for a 15-year power supply agreement to fulfill its requirements starting Aug. 26, 2025.
As per last year’s Department of Energy advisory, power suppliers with natural gas-fired plants are urged to join the bidding and prioritize indigenous natural gas.
The deadline for bids is Aug. 2.
METER THEFTMeralco also reported on Thursday a 63% increase in stolen electric meters, totaling 1,131 incidents from January to June compared to the same period last year.
Over the past five years, the power distributor has documented a total of 4,591 stolen electric meters.
“We are reminding the public that these meters are the property of Meralco, and we do not charge our customers for its use,” Meralco Vice-President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said.
“Stealing, reselling, and buying these meters are illegal activities punishable under the law and anyone caught in possession of these stolen equipment will be prosecuted and penalized accordingly,” he added.
Meralco said that it employs unique identifiers on all its meters so that these can be traced and identified as property of the company.
“We urge the public to report any suspicious activities or stolen meters to Meralco or the authorities to help us curb this illegal practice and ensure the safety and integrity of electric service,” Mr. Zaldarriaga said.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, 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 an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.