Guimaras Wind tops WCO Summit compliance awards

Guimaras Wind Corporation’s San Lorenzo Wind Power Plant won first place in the wind category of the 2026 Compliance Awards, earning recognition at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market Compliance Officers Summit.

For electricity consumers, the recognition draws attention to the responsibility of generators to follow market rules and maintain reliable operations. The summit paired its awards with a call for power companies to identify risks early and prepare for supply and market uncertainty.

San Carlos Solar Energy Inc.’s San Carlos Solar Power Plant placed second in the solar category, followed by Negros Island Solar Power Inc.’s Islasol III Solar Power Plant in third.

Energy Regulatory Commission Chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino C. Juan urged electricity market participants to identify risks before they disrupt operations, putting transparency, accountability, and compliance at the center of the regulator’s reform agenda.

Juan delivered the keynote address at the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market Compliance Officers Summit 2026 at The Fifth at Rockwell. The gathering carried the theme “Compliance and Continuity, Building Resilience Amid Energy Uncertainty.”

“Our theme is compliance and continuity. It’s very timely,” Juan said. “That’s why this morning, allow me to share what the ERC has been doing and where we are headed… Let me open with three words that guide our work: compliance, transparency, and accountability.”

He cited the challenges of managing a market with differing prices, dependence on imported fuel, and interconnected grids. Regulatory reform, he said, requires preparations for risks before they materialize.

According to the Philippine Electricity Market Corporation’s account of his address, Juan cited the rollout of the 2026 Philippine Grid Code, enhanced power plant reliability standards, and shorter processing times under the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop, or EVOSS.

He presented these measures as steps toward greater long-term predictability in the electricity market.

“We cannot remove every uncertainty, but we can prepare—through reliable infrastructure, responsive regulatory frameworks, effective market mechanisms, and a strong culture of compliance,” Juan said.

“To our compliance officers, do not only look backward… ask what is coming, spot the risk early, prepare before the problem arrives.”

The summit concluded with the 2026 Compliance Awards, recognizing organizations and industry participants for adherence to regulatory standards and operational performance.

Misamis Oriental I Rural Electric Service Cooperative, Inc. topped the wholesale metering services provider category. Batangas I Electric Cooperative, Inc., Cagayan I Electric Cooperative, Inc., and Pampanga I Electric Cooperative, Inc. shared first place in the retail category.

The complete metering services provider rankings follow, including the ties announced in the release.

Generation awards covered run-of-river, wind, solar, biomass, coal, geothermal, hydro, natural gas, oil-based, and non-scheduled generation categories.

The Philippine Electricity Market Corporation, or PEMC, is a private, non-stock, nonprofit corporation incorporated in November 2003 at the initiative of the Department of Energy, with representatives from different electricity industry sectors.

PEMC served as the autonomous group market operator for more than 10 years. It now governs the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, or WESM, and the Renewable Energy Market, or REM.

WESM provides a centralized venue for buying and selling electricity, with prices determined by demand and available supply. It was created under Republic Act 9136, the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, or EPIRA.

Commercial WESM operations began in Luzon in June 2006, in the Visayas in December 2010, and in Mindanao in January 2023.

The REM was established under Republic Act 9513, the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. It provides a venue for trading Renewable Energy Certificates to facilitate compliance with Renewable Portfolio Standards.

PEMC supervises REM operations and enforcement through the REM Governance Committee.

EPIRA required the creation of an independent entity to receive market operator functions, assets, and liabilities. The DOE and electricity market participants endorsed the transfer of WESM operations from PEMC to the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines on Sept. 26, 2018.

PEMC retained WESM governance through its board and governance committees. It describes its mandate as protecting transparent, fair, and efficient market processes through oversight and industry collaboration.