Aboitiz, SMC, FGen units bidding for Meralco supply contract

MANILA, Philippines — The power units of top energy players Aboitiz Group, Ramon Ang-led San Miguel conglomerate and the Lopez Group’s First Gen Corp. are leading the roster of bidders for Manila Electric Co.’s (Meralco) new power supply contract.

This followed Meralco’s launch of a competitive selection process (CSP) last month for the procurement of 600 megawatts (MW) of baseload supply intended to meet the company’s power requirements starting next year.

In a pre-bid conference, Meralco said Aboitiz Power Corp.’s coal units GNPower Dinginin Ltd. Co. and Therma Luzon Inc. have expressed interest in the CSP, which covers a 15-year power supply agreement (PSA) that is targeted to start on Aug. 26, 2025.

Mariveles Power Generation Corp. and Masinloc Power Co. Ltd., subsidiaries of San Miguel Global Power, are also keen on securing the supply contract.

According to Meralco, Lopez-led natural gas suppliers First Gas Power Corp. and First NatGas Power Corp. would also take their shots for the PSA.

Completing the pool are coal suppliers Quezon Power (Philippines) Ltd. Co. and Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. of the Consunji Group.

The participation of the country’s major industry players in the bidding “reflects the private sector’s continuing efforts to ensure sufficient and cost-competitive supply for consumers,” Meralco bids and awards committee for PSA chairman Larry Fernandez said.

“We look forward to the bid submissions of these prospective bidders next month,” he added.

Following the June 25 deadline for the submission of an expression of interest, Meralco said the eight interested bidders offered a total contract capacity of 1,870 MW.

The winning bidders will be announced on Aug. 2.

Next week, the Pangilinan-led power distributor will reveal the names of the six interested power suppliers for the 400-MW mid-merit supply contract.

Meralco, the largest energy distribution utility in the country, provides electricity to around 7.8 million customers within its franchise coverage, which includes Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Bulacan and select areas in Pampanga, Batangas, Laguna and Quezon.