AboitizPower retains lead in power generation market

MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Power Corp. remains the country’s leading power generation company, with its market share edging close to the limit set by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Latest ERC data showed that AboitizPower accounted for 24.3 percent of the national market, with total capacity equivalent to 6.85 million kiloWatts (kW).

This leaves the Aboitiz Group’s power arm less than 200,000 kW shy of the 7.05 million kW maximum generating capacity set by the regulator.

Its dominance is evident across Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, where it records the highest market shares at 27.53 percent, 16.99 percent and 14.85 percent, respectively.

Trailing AboitizPower is tycoon Ramon Ang’s San Miguel Global Power (SMGP), which holds 19.62 percent of the national market, equivalent to 5.53 million kW in capacity.

In third place is First Gen Corp. of the Lopez Group, with a 10.74-percent national market share, even after selling a majority stake in its gas business to Enrique Razon Jr.

Shifts further down the rankings saw the Zobel family’s ACEN Corp. rise to fourth place, overtaking tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan’s Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), which slipped to fifth.

ACEN has a market share of 6.91 percent or 1.95 million kW in capacity, narrowly ahead of Meralco’s 6.7 percent or 1.89 million kW.

Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, no single company or related group may own, operate or control more than 30 percent of the installed generating capacity (IGC) of a grid and 25 percent of the national IGC.

In a recent resolution, the ERC set the national IGC at about 28.2 million kW.

The IGC per grid, meanwhile, stood at 20.42 million kW for Luzon, 3.48 million kW for the Visayas and 4.3 million kW for Mindanao.

“Healthy competition in the power sector is essential to ensuring reliable electricity supply and protecting consumers from unreasonable prices,” ERC chairman and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan said.