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STATE-RUN Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.
(PSALM) is looking to dispose 10 power plants operated by
state-owned National Power Corp. (Napocor) within the year.
Based on its indicative sale schedule, the
agency tasked with selling government’s power assets plans to
auction off Napocor’s geothermal plants as well as a couple of
diesel and hydroelectric units.
The plants that have been lined up for
privatization are the decommissioned Bataan Thermal Power Plant in
Limay, for April; the Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant in Albay, and the
MakBan Geothermal Power Plant in Laguna, for May; and the Amlan
Hydroelectric Power Plant in Negros Oriental, for June.
Also in the list are the following: for July,
the Limay Combined-Cycle Power Plant in Bataan, the Palinpinon
Geothermal Power Plant in Negros Oriental, and the Panay Diesel
Power Plant in Iloilo; for August, the Leyte Geothermal Power Plant
in Tongonan and the Bohol Diesel Power Plant in Tagbilaran City; for
September, the BacMan Geothermal Power Plant in Sorsogon, and the
Iligan Diesel 1 and 2 in Dalipuga; for November, the Subic-Zambales
Diesel II in Olongapo City; and for December, the Aplaya Diesel
Power Plant in Misamis Oriental and the GenSan Diesel Power Plant in
South Cotabato.
Officials from both Psalm and Napocor said,
however, that the sale schedule is still subject to the approval of
both firms’ boards.
Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of
2001 (Epira), Psalm is tasked to privatize 70 percent of Napocor’s
generation capacity and the output of independent power producers to
administrators before an open access regime can take effect. An open
access regime allows consumers to choose their suppliers.
Psalm has so far privatized 11 of Napocor’s
power plants with a total capacity of about 1,900 megawatts
corresponding to a 42.8-percent privatization threshold.
The 10 indicative facilities lined up for this
year have a combined capacity of less than 2,000 megawatts, which if
sold is more than enough to meet Psalm’s target under the Epira.
-- Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo
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