There was a specific stipulation in the original petition for IOA lodged with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that the policy’s implementation shall depend on "the delivery of the Masinloc and Calaca plants to the buyers."

The 600-megawatt Masinloc facility was already turned over to US firm AES Corporation last April after the latter’s full payment of 0 million for the asset acquisition.

PIPPA president Ernesto B. Pantangco said they will amend the IOA petition "if Calaca is not closed, but we’ll do it after the hearings."

The ERC already issued the provisional approval for the implementation of interim open access in Luzon, but public hearings are still on-going prior to the issue of a final authority in carrying out the policy for the industry.

The regime of open access will initially give consumers with peak demand of 1.0-megawatt and up to choose their electricity suppliers.

If Calaca is not closed upon IOA implementation, Pantangco opined that "it will reduce players, but the current number of players will already be enough" to jumpstart the process.

The PIPPA president acknowledged that the industry has been encountering dilemma with the rates of state-run National Power Corporation (NPC), having been the benchmark for the transition supply contracts (TSCs) attached to the divested assets, because it is not reflective of true costs. (MMV)