The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) said it has approved 176 applications for the issuance of certificate of compliance (COC) and provisional authority to operate (PAO) for independent power producers (IPPs), qualified end-users (QEs) and self-generation facilities (SGFs) since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented.
“Work in the ERC must go on despite the lockdown measures implemented by the government, because keeping a sustainable electricity is very crucial especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COCs and PAOs that we have approved will authorize generation companies to start their commercial operations in order to ensure a stable and reliable power supply,” Agnes Devanadera, the regulatory body’s chairperson and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
She said from March 15 to July 14, ERC has approved 51 COCs for IPPs, 76 COCs for QEs, and 49 COCs for SGFs.
For the IPPs, 15 are new COCs while the remaining 36 are renewals. As for the SGFs, 23 are new COCs while 26 are renewals.
COCs are mandated for power facilities to operate. Pending issuance of such document, a PAO may be issued which can be valid for six months.
For the quarantine period, ERC said it adopted a combination of work-from-home and skeleton workforce arrangement.
“The commission assures generation companies that they will be issued the required COCs or PAOs within the prescribed period to enable them to operate and augment the country’s power supply. This will help ensure an uninterrupted electricity and help alleviate the impacts of this pandemic,” Devanadera said.
