THE amount and quality of the transition supply contract to be attached to the 600-megawatt Masinloc coal power plant will help Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC), the power arm of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, determine whether it will bid for the said power generating asset of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

In an interview, APC senior vice president Luis Miguel Aboitiz said Napocor’s earlier pronouncement of its willingness to attach a contract equivalent to 25 percent of the capacity of Masinloc is not attractive to investors.   

Amid APC’s interest over Masinloc, Aboitiz said he remains optimistic that the allocation of transition supply contract be increased to 50 percent of the 550-megawatt dependable capacity of the Masinloc.

Apart from the transition supply contract, Aboitiz also urged the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) to announce the reserve price before the July 26 bidding date.

“Announcing it [reserve price] will help make our [investors] preparations for the bidding easier. But we will respect Psalm officials’ decision if they won’t announce the reserve price,” he said.

APC is one of the 23 investor groups that have expressed interest in the Masinloc coal plant, one of the big ticket power items to be auctioned off this year, and under its power portfolio are Davao Light and Power Co. Inc., Visayan Electric Co. Inc., Cotabato Light and Power Co., Subic Enerzone Corp., San Fernando Electric Light and Power Co. Inc., Pampanga Energy Ventures Inc. and Aboitiz Energy Solutions Inc.

Psalm president Jose C. Ibazeta earlier also said his agency prefers a higher transition supply contract to be attached to the Masinloc.

Napocor president Cyril C. del Callar, on the other hand, acknowledged that the state-owned power firm is considering increasing the transition supply contract. “We are open to [increasing] it. We will study it,” he added.

The Masinloc auction has generated strong investor interest. Of the 23 interested groups, 15 are foreign companies, of which seven are from Asia, four from the US and four from Europe.

Among the other parties interested in the Masinloc are the Korea Electric Power Corp., First Gen Corp. and Trans Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp, AES Corp. and CalEnergy, both US firms, investment firm Ashmore and One Energy.

Psalm has committed to sell 50 percent of the Napocor’s generating assets this year to push forward government’s privatization efforts. Psalm is also hoping to bid out the 25-year concession contract of the National Transmission Corp. this year.

GOVERNMENT-RUN National Power Corp. (Napocor) said Friday that more than 100 barangays on different islands of the country were given access to electricity by the Napocor-Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) under its Electrification of 100 Barangays program and part of its mandate to provide electricity to off-grid islands through missionary electrification.

THE amount and quality of the transition supply contract to be attached to the 600-megawatt Masinloc coal power plant will help Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC), the power arm of Aboitiz Equity Ventures, determine whether it will bid for the said power generating asset of the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

THE Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (Jpepa) is expected to face stiff opposition once the Philippine Senate starts its deliberations as opponents of the controversial trade pact vowed to launch their campaign against its ratification.

A NONGOVERNMENT organization (NGO) in the fisheries sector has asked the government to channel its support directly to seaweed farmers to make them more competitive against other Asian producers of seaweed.

THE Quezon City government, the richest among local government units (LGUs) in terms of collection and surplus, will not increase taxes during the fresh three-year term of Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr.