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The Philippine Electricity Market
Corp. (PEMC) plans to set up an information center online that will
house data relevant to retail competition in the power industry.
“The Energy Regulatory Commission tasked us to develop a
business-to-business system for the retail electricity suppliers
which will pave the way for retail competition,” Mario R.
Pangilinan, PEMC vice-president for market operations, told
reporters. The “central registry system” will also include
information on the contestible market eligible for open access or
those who will be able to choose their own supplier of electricity.
Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), open access
shall commence after 70 percent of the National Power Corp.’s
assets are privatized, among others.
However,
Pangilinan clarified that PEMC, the market operator of the local
electricity bourse, will not be involved in the transactions between
the contestable market and power retailers. He added that PEMC
expects to finish this online database by year’s end.
“We will
start first with the central registry—where we will put in their
information about the contestible customer or the one-megawatt. But
we will not be involved in the settlement,” he said.
Lasse
Holopainen, PEMC president, said that the market operator will only
initiate the development of the project and “as to who is the
final operator or who is actually going to be doing this on a
full-time basis—we don’t know.”
 --Euan
Paolo C. Añonuevo
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