Following the Taguig Regional Trial Court’s (RTC) dismissal of the Malampaya consortium members’ bid for injunctive relief, Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) is moving forward with plans to reschedule the competitive selection process (CSP) for obtaining an additional 1,000 megawatts (MW) of power supply.
Manila Bulletin reported that the Taguig RTC, as explained by Judge Antonio M. Olivete, has dismissed the complaint for injunction filed by the plaintiffs.
The court’s decision also noted that the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued on August 2, 2024, is now provided without force or impact.
The plaintiffs in the case include Prime Energy Resources Development B.V., the operator of the Malampaya field, along with its consortium partners UC338 LLC of the Udenna Group, Prime Oil and Gas Inc., and the state-run Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation.
In light of this development, MERALCO Senior Vice President and Head of Regulatory Management Jose Ronald V. Valles announced that the distribution utility (DU) firm will soon issue a notice on the rescheduling of the CSP for the upcoming round of capacity procurements.
Valles noted that the DU will proceed with the bidding for the 600MW and 400MW capacities given the rejection of Prime Energy’s application for injunction, as they cannot afford any additional delay, which will undoubtedly expose consumers to greater costs.
The initial auction for the 600MW capacity procurement was originally slated for August 2, with the 400MW procurement originally planned for August 9.
MERALCO had stated that the CSPs would follow existing Department of Energy (DOE) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) standards.
