NGCP fasttracks revenue metering facilities

MANILA, Philippines - The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s power transmission highway operator, is fasttracking the installation of revenue metering facilities that are compliant with the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

Among its 15 grid-connected generator customers with 36 metering points, NGCP already installed 26 IMEM-ready metering facilities, the company said.

Emmanuel M. Sotomil, NGCP’s metering services head, said among their different grid customers, Agus 6 poses the biggest challenge.

“The biggest challenge is in Agus 6 complex where five metering facilities still need to be installed,” Sotomil said.

NGCP has been coordinating with the power plant’s owner-operator the state-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) because the lines should be de-energized and some of the plant generating units should be shut down for the installation to be completed.

NGCP said among its 53 grid-connected load customers that include distribution utilities and non-distribution utilities with 184 metering points, the company already installed 180 IMEM-ready metering facilities. Yet to be installed are metering facilities inside two military camps in Iligan and at Napocor’s regional office in Iligan.

Aside from installing metering facilities, the NGCP has also made available data on load customers’ capacity nomination data and schedules for the use of all players in the electricity market in Mindanao.

Access to the data, made possible through the NGCP-initiated site imem.ngcp.ph is in support of the Department of Energy’s efforts to deliver sustainable solutions to stabilize Mindanao’s power situation.

The IMEM on Interim Mindanao Electricity Market, similar to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), the country’s trading floor, seeks to establish a venue for transparent and efficient utilization of all available power capacities, specifically in Mindanao, particularly during periods where the contracted supply capacities of the load customers, such as the distribution utilities and industrial customers, are not enough to meet the demand.

The DOE has earlier ordered the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) to develop and implement an interim electricity market specifically designed for the Mindanao grid, which has been experiencing blackouts due to a power supply deficit.

The commercial operation of the IMEM is scheduled to commence on Sept. 26. Trial operation has been ongoing since Aug. 26.

 â€œNGCP remains supportive of the initiatives of DOE and PEMC and is very much willing to assist in finding solutions to the electric power concerns in Mindanao. IMEM is the first step to ensure free and fair competition and public accountability,” NGCP spokesperson Cynthia Perez-Alabanza said.