The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has begun its virtual inspections on the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ (NGCP) transmission facilities last June 10, it recently said.
The inspections are part of the Compliance Review being undertaken by the commission’s technical staff together with its appointed consultant, Navarro, Amper & Co.
“The ongoing inspections will cover NGCP’s Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao transmission facilities and the activities that will be undertaken are threefold: (1) Document Verification of relevant documents on site; (2) Ocular Inspections of the various systems, assets, and procedures; and (3) Probing Questions or discussions with the concerned NGCP staff”, ERC Chairperson Agnes Devanadera said in a statement.
The virtual field inspections being conducted by the ERC is for the compliance review of NGCP’s technical operations in order to establish and assess its compliance with the governing rules and regulations, as well as the sufficiency of the infrastructure it uses in carrying out its functions and responsibilities.
Likewise, the inspections aim to prove the accuracy, reliability, and availability of data or information gathered from power plants, substations, and other power utilities; and empower ERC personnel on compliance review.
The ERC’s review shall cover the procedures, processes, and systems that NGCP employs through its various organizational units. The technical consultant will particularly work on the documentation and presentation of its Report to the commission, including a knowledge transfer program given that ERC lacks the technical expertise and capability to conduct such compliance audit or review of the NGCP.
“We wish to underscore the fact that the ERC’s engagement of a technical consultant for the conduct of NGCP’s compliance review shall be financed from the ERC’s budget allocation and that the same was done in accordance with the Government Procurement Reform Act,” Devanadera added.
