While Filipinos are being told to feast on crumbs for a ₱500 noche buena this Christmas, how can anyone expect us to stomach a power capacity addition that will compel consumers to pay a gut-wrenching ₱14 per kWh for offshore wind? This energy source is being served like a luxury entrée to a...
With just a month left in 2025, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is moving to wrap up several major pending regulatory cases. In an interview, ERC Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan listed unresolved matters concerning the grid, transmission, and energy storage systems (ESS). “The major...
Ramon Ang-led Petron Corp. is moving forward with plans to connect its 184.4-megawatt (MW) Refinery Solid Fuel-Fired Boiler (RSFFB) project to the national grid by developing its own point-to-point facilities. The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) approved Petron’s application to own and develop...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has ordered all distribution utilities (DUs) to suspend power line disconnections until the end of the year, following the devastation wrought by Typhoons “Tino” and “Uwan.” In an advisory, the ERC stated that residential and non-residential customers...
Electricity consumers may see another round of power-bill increases as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) announced the resumption of the Universal Charge-Environmental Charge (UC-EC) collection. In an advisory Friday, Nov. 7, the ERC reinstated the ₱0.0025 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) UC-EC, five...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is moving to create a uniform national lifeline subsidy rate (UNLSR) that would fund 100 percent electricity bill discounts for low-income households. In a statement on Wednesday, Nov. 5, the agency announced that it is seeking to establish a national lifeline...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has eased share listing deadlines and requirements for power generation companies amid widespread difficulty among smaller firms in meeting a decades-old public offering mandate (POR). In a briefing, ERC Chairperson Francis Saturnino Juan said the commission...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved an increase in the Feed-in-Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) rate, starting next month, which will slightly raise power bills to generate sufficient funds for paying renewable energy (RE) developers. In a briefing on Monday, Oct. 20, ERC Chairperson...
Consumers may soon see fairer or more reasonable power rates as the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) begins the long-awaited rate reset process for Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and other private distribution utilities. In a statement, the ERC said it has approved the new Rationalized Rules for...
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has stood firm on its decision not to import sugar for the current milling season in a bid to stabilize sugar prices that have been weighed down by market uncertainty. In a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 15, the DA reiterated the government policy earlier issued by...
With back-to-back earthquakes shaking the country in the past 10 days, who in their right mind would now gamble their backyards and communities on hosting nuclear power facilities? This is the ironic cherry on top: the President just signed a nuclear safety regulation law that breezed through the...
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has approved the connection of Lihangin Wind Energy Corp.’s (LWEC) San Isidro Wind Power Project to the Visayas grid, which would mark the entry of its wind capacity into the system. LWEC, a joint venture of Aboitiz Renewables Inc., Vivant Energy Corp., and...
