Power Producers Want Proper Policy Regulation

Power producers in the country are looking to enhance policies to attract more investments in the power-generating sector.

Anne Estorco Montelibano, President of the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc. (PIPPA), has stated that power generators are pushing for proper policies and regulations that would emulate the industry’s true business.

Montelibano has mentioned that the power generation sector of the Philippines has undertaken “a lot of variables” and “been shouldering most of the costs already.”

“Right now our regulators are very specific on cost and they focus on the price of electricity and what is being passed on to customers… instead of the impact to investors and power generators,”  she adds.

“So in its effort to cushion the effect, they put it on our side, which is an unhealthy way of thinking about it because we are not really delving into the actual problem, which is that there are no generators that are willing to continuously invest,”

If this keeps up, Montelibano has mentioned that there would be no players left in the market which would create a healthier mix of technology that would mean lower power prices.

“Passing on costs to investors is a band-aid solution, when in fact you have to examine policies that would encourage investment, and we have been – I’m speaking for power generators – shouldering most of the cost already,” Montelibano mentions.

Aside from this, the group has also advocated for removing barriers to entry for power generators to make electricity rates more competitive.

Source: Philstar