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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider The Economy devider Meralco's Vantage Energy enters Mindanao power market

Meralco's Vantage Energy enters Mindanao power market

Published May 20, 2025 02:51 pm

Vantage Energy, the affiliate retail electricity supplier (RES) of Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has announced its entry into the Mindanao market for the first time, facilitated through partnerships within the food manufacturing, processing, and distribution sector.

In a statement on Tuesday, May 20, Vantage Energy said it has entered into power supply deals with Philippine Spring Water Resources, Inc. (PSWRI) and Cagayan Corn Products Corp. (CCPC).

PSWRI is the product manufacturer of Nature’s Spring, while CCPC produces cornstarch, corn grits, and other feed products.

These partnerships are in line with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA), a program wherein consumers that has a 500 kilowatt (kW) demand threshold have the freedom to select their retail electricity supplier.

To further expand the competitive retail electricity market (CREM) in Mindanao, Vantage Energy plans to educate the region’s stakeholders to allow them to choose their power supplier at their preferred price points.

Ernesto Cabral, president of Vantage Energy, believed that their entry into the region’s market could bring in growth potential in Mindanao.

“Our new strategic partnerships with local businesses not only mark the beginning of a more energized and dynamic region but also reflect the broader momentum of development beyond the capital,” he said.

“With our goal to deliver a stable and dependable electricity supply, we are committed to providing comprehensive and innovative solutions that will help fuel Mindanao’s economic growth and sustainable development,” Cabral added. 

Energy movements in Visayas

Zooming out of Mindanao, Meralco PowerGen Corporation, Meralco’s power generation arm, is eyeing to set up a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Cebu, which could address the Visayas’ power situation.

“We're looking at putting a battery in Cebu anywhere between 20 to 50 megawatts (MW),” said Emmanuel Rubio, MGen president and chief executive officer on the sidelines of Schneider Electric's Innovation Day.

“Cebu is lacking regulating reserves. If you look at the prices of the spot market for regulating up (RU) and regulating down (RD), we thought that with the 30 MW certification of the Panay Energy Development Corp. Unit 3 to provide regulating, prices will go down… But it’s still not enough, that’s why we’re looking to add [capacity],” he elaborated.

Despite its plans for BESS integration, which would potentially help Visayas’ power supply, Rubio hoped other power players could add more capacity before MGen to offset the high spot market prices.

Earlier this month, the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) reported that Visayas’ prices in the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) stood at ₱4.52 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Related Tags

Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) Vantage Energy
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