The Makati Business Club prefers that government first work on fully implementing the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) instead of having Congress amend it now to address continuing power industry woes.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the MBC laid out a six-point position addressed to government energy agencies that specifies EPIRA provisions which have yet to be realized.
EPIRA was enacted into law in 2001.
Open access, the establishment of a reserve market, and privatization of power generation facilities in Casecnan, Mt. Apo, Pulangi, STEAG, Gensan, and Zamboanga were among the unimplemented industry reforms mandated in Republic Act 9136, the MBC said.
The infuential business group said “opening up EPIRA now for review and amendments will reinforce concerns about an unstable and unreliable regulatory framework and…may cause the deferment or cancellation of pending investments in the power sector.”
Some regulations were also identified either for revision or better implementation such as the Automatic Generation Rate Adjustment rules applicable to distribution utility generation charges.
“The National Transmission Company (TRANSCO) should revisit the Transmission Development Plan (TDP) and accelerate the implementation of the Leyte-Mindanao underground cable interconnection,” the MBC also said. — ELR, GMA News
Original Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/364052/economy/business/energy-agencies-prodded-to-address-long-delayed-epira-provisions