Meralco to bid out 600-MW baseload supply

MANILA, Philippines — The Manila Electric Company (Meralco) began its baseload supply bidding to meet the power distributor’s requirements for next year.

In a statement on Wednesday, Meralco launched its Competitive Selection Process (CSP) for the 600 megawatts (MW) worth of baseload supply to make sure that there is readily available and reasonable electricity for consumers.

The CSP is done when Meralco selects a supplier through a transparent and competitive bidding. This would involve a 15-year Power Supply Agreement (PSA) which is set to start in August next year.

This selection process was followed after Meralco received a certificate of conformity from the Department of Energy (DOE) on their Power Supply Procurement Plan for the Terms of Reference (TOR). This approval would be needed for bidding.

In the TOR, the DOE advised in October 2023 that suppliers with natural gas-fired power plants are welcome to participate in the bidding. They also encouraged these power suppliers to prioritize the use of indigenous natural gas.

The deadline to submit the Expression of Interest would be on June 25, while the pre-bid conference will happen on July 24.

Meralco's Bids and Awards Committee for PSAs will close bid submissions on August 2.

Meanwhile, the energy firm warned consumers this week of the possibility of electricity bill hikes this month. This includes the increase in transmission costs and the feed-in tariff (FIT) allowance.