WESM Compliance Summit Honors Top Performers in Power Sector

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu — The Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) Compliance Officers (WCO) Summit made its return after a one-year break, gathering hundreds of power industry participants on October 24, 2024, under the theme “Setting the Gold Standard in Market Governance.”

The summit, held in Mandaue City, highlighted the crucial role of compliance in the energy sector, awarding top-performing power companies for their exceptional adherence to market rules. The event featured discussions on the latest industry developments, including the newly introduced Reserve Market.

Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara, the keynote speaker, underscored the importance of strict compliance in the power sector to foster growth, particularly in light of new initiatives such as the Reserve Market.

“This is a great opportunity to remind our ancillary service providers (ASPs) to adhere to the compliance standards under the recently promulgated Ancillary Services Monitoring (ASM) Manual, particularly on the submission of offers, and the timeliness and accuracy of AS provision,” Guevara said.

The Philippine Electricity Market Corporation (PEMC) President and WESM Governance Officer Elvin Hayes E. Nidea welcomed the participants, acknowledging the industry’s challenges, such as supply deficits and increasing demand, but praised the resilience and success of the WESM players.

“This year has been a challenging one for the industry as we purposefully try to navigate the tough terrain of supply deficits, increasing demands, and regulatory challenges that beset the spot market,” Nidea remarked.

Elaine R. de Guzman-Gonzales, PEMC’s Chief Internal Audit Officer, expressed optimism in her closing remarks, emphasizing that compliance is the foundation for the industry’s growth.

“May your success inspire others to continually improve their systems and processes to ensure compliance with the market rules and regulations. As competition goes well beyond the market, innovation and improvements are driven by the very basic foundation of trust and compliance,” Gonzales stated.

The awards recognized various categories, with standout performers including Smith Bell Mini-Hydro Corporation, which topped the Run-of-River Hydro category for its 1.800 MW Commonal-Uddiawan Mini-Hydro Power Plant, and Ecopark Energy of Valenzuela Corp., which led the Solar category with its 16.002 MWp Tagalag Solar Power Plant.

In the wind category, Guimaras Wind Corporation took first place for its San Lorenzo Wind Farm Project, while Therma Luzon, Inc. led the Coal category for its Pagbilao Coal-Fired Power Plant 1 & 2.

Other notable awardees included SN Aboitiz Power, which secured the top spot in the Hydro category for its Binga Hydroelectric Power Plant, and Prime Meridian PowerGen Corporation, recognized for its San Gabriel Avion Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant in the Natural Gas category.

Mindanao-based companies were also honored, with Mindanao Energy Systems’ 9.21 MW Cabulig Mini-Hydroelectric Power Plant taking first place among hydroelectric facilities, and Lamsan Power Corporation recognized in the Biomass category for its 15.0 MW power plant.

The WCO Summit, held annually, recognizes the importance of compliance in ensuring efficient market operations, and the awards serve as a testament to the participants’ commitment despite operational and budgetary challenges.

These awards build on last year’s WESM Compliance Officers Conferment and Annual Compliance Awards (WCACA), which similarly highlighted the dedication of market players to maintaining high standards of governance in the power industry.

The awarding of winners was based on compliance averages measured in different categories as follows:

Must-Dispatch Generation Units

WESM Generator Classification	Rank	Company Name	Facility Name
Run-of-River Hydro	1st	Smith Bell Mini-Hydro Corporation	1.800 MW Commonal-Uddiawan Mini-Hydro Power Plant
	2nd	Hedcor Sabangan, Inc.	Sabangan Hydroelectric Power Plant
	3rd	Northern Renewables Generation Corporation	Bakun Hydro Electric Power Plant
Solar	1st	Ecopark Energy of Valenzuela Corp.	Ecopark Energy Isla Power Plant, 16.002 MWp (Phases 2 and 3) Tagalag Solar Power Plant
	2nd	Jobin-SQM Inc.	100.533 MWp Sta. Rita Solar Power Plant (SPP)
	3rd	Sulu Electric Power and Light (Phils.), Inc.	49.754 MWp Sepalco Castilla Solar Power Plant
Wind	1st	Guimaras Wind Corporation	San Lorenzo Wind Farm Project
	2nd	North Wind Power Development Corporation	Phases I and II Bangui Bay Wind Power Plant, Phase III Bangui Bay Wind Power Plant
	3rd	North Luzon Renewable Energy Corporation	Caparispisan Wind Power Plant
Mindanao Top 3 Recognition	1st	Mindanao Energy Systems – Cabulig	9.21 MW Cabulig Mini-Hydroelectric Power Plant Units 1 & 2
	2nd	Bubunawan Power Company, Inc.	6.57 MW Bubunawan Hydroelectric Power Plant
	3rd	Asiga Green Energy Corp.	8 MW ASIGA Hydroelectric Power Plant

 

Scheduled Generating Units

WESM Generator Classification	Rank	Company Name	Facility Name
Biomass	1st	Cagayan Biomass Energy Corporation	15.00 MW Biomass Power Plant
	2nd	VS Gripal Power Corporation	6 MW Biomass Power Plant
	3rd	Grassgold Renewable Energy Corporation	12 MW Biomass Power Plant
Coal	1st	Therma Luzon, Inc.	Pagbilao Coal-Fired Power Plant 1 & 2
	2nd	Limay Power Inc.	SMC Limay Coal Power Plant 1, 2, 3, & 4
	3rd	Pagbilao Energy Corporation	Pagbilao 3 Power Plant
Geothermal	1st	Bac-Man Geothermal Inc.	Bacman Geothermal Power Plant Unit 1, 2, & 3
	2nd	Energy Development Corporation	Nasulo Geothermal Power Plant
	3rd	Green Core Geothermal Inc.	Palinpinon Geothermal Power Plant I
Hydro	1st	SN Aboitiz Power – Benguet, Inc.	Binga Hydroelectric Power Plant – Unit 1, 2, 3, 4
	2nd	SN Aboitiz Power – Benguet, Inc.	Ambuklao Hydroelectric Power Plant Unit 1, 2, 3
	3rd	SN Aboitiz Power – Magat, Inc.	Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant Unit 1, 2, 3, 4
Natural Gas	1st	Prime Meridian PowerGen Corporation	San Gabriel Avion Natural Gas-Fired Power Plant Unit 1 & 2
	2nd	First Gas Power Corporation (Sta. Rita)	Sta. Rita Natural Gas Power Plant 1, 2, 3, 4
	3rd	FGP Corporation (San Lorenzo)	San Lorenzo Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant Unit 50 & 60
Oil-based	1st	Central Negros Power Reliability, Inc.	Calumangan Diesel Power Plant
	2nd	SPC Island Power Corporation	Bohol Diesel Power Plant Unit 1, 2, 3, 4
	3rd	SPC Power Corporation	Power Barge 104 Unit 1, 2, 3, 4

 

Non-Scheduled Generating Units

Rank	Company Name	Facility Name
1st	SN Aboitiz Power – Magat, Inc.	Maris Canal HEPP Unit 1, 2
2nd	Amlan Hydroelectric Power Corporation	Amlan Hydro Electric Power Plant
3rd	Sta. Clara Power Corporation	Loboc Hydro Electric Power Plant

 

Mindanao Top 5 Recognition (Q3 & Q4)

Resource Type	Company Name	Facility Name
Biomass	Lamsan Power Corporation	15.0 MW Biomass Power Plant
Coal	Therma South, Inc.	TSI Coal-fired Power Plant
Geothermal	Energy Development Corporation	54.24 MW Mindanao I Geothermal Power Plant
Hydro	Power Sector Asset and Liabilities Management Corporation	255 MW Pulangi IV Hydroelectric Power Plant
Oil-Based	Mindanao Energy Systems	Sulzer Diesel Power Plant

 

These awards were also given last year at the WESM Compliance Officers Conferment and Annual Compliance Awards (WCACA), in an effort to recognize the market participants’ commitment to market compliance despite budget constraints.