RP hosts Asia-Pacific forum on electricity trading

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines recently hosted the second Association of Power Exchanges’ (APEx) Asia-Pacific Region Meeting aimed at further improving knowledge and information on electricity trading in the region.

APEx is an international organization composed of electric power markets across the globe, which fosters free communication of ideas and practices geared towards sharing information and experiences essential to the procedures of their respective markets.

Membership requires any of the following qualifications: operates an electricity  trading pool, engages in an electricity power exchange, operates an exchange for trading financial instruments related to electricity trading, or operates an electricity transmission system in a competitive electricity market.

The Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC), the second to operate an electricity market in Southeast Asia, was accepted as a member of APEx in July 2007.

The Asia-Pacific meeting was initiated to provide a venue for members in the region to discuss issues that particularly concern the territory.

In 2008, the Energy Market Co. (EMC) of Singapore hosted the initial APEx Asia-Pacific Region Meeting with representatives from five member countries.

Energy Secretary and PEMC chairman Angelo T. Reyes attended the event.

“Sourcing electricity for power needs has been a volatile issue but the market has provided another venue for us to do so. Establishing a market is very difficult and that’s mainly why very few countries do it. The Philippines and the delegates stand to learn a lot from their individual experiences and from there improve the mechanisms for their respective markets,” said Reyes.

PEMC acting president Melinda L. Ocampo said she was impressed “with the quality of presentation and the massive amount of information imparted by the speakers.”

Among those who gave presentations on country/market situationers were: Korea Power Exchange, Malaysia’s Tenaga Nasional Berhad, The Marketplace Co. from New Zealand, Energy Market Co. Western Australia’s Independent Market Operator and PEMC.