DOE set to lead audit of NGCP’s performance

By Alena Mae S. Flores – May 21, 2023, 7:15 pm
from manilastandard.net

Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said over the weekend the Department of Energy will lead a comprehensive performance audit of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines to help complete its delayed transmission projects.

“Our job is to make sure that we have the proper, called for a comprehensive study, audit that will be the basis for finding out what are the solutions for finishing these three major interconnection projects,” Lotilla said.

He said the Energy Regulatory Commission conducted the first financial audit in 2009.

“We’re going to do a more comprehensive study in terms of looking at the status of transmission lines, the nature of problems and what are the solutions to these,” Lotilla said.

He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wanted to finish the transmission projects to avoid a repeat of the recent yellow and red alerts.

“What is important is we finished these projects first and foremost. These are the ones that are going to free up stranded power, as discussed before because there’s 600 megawatts or even more that gets stranded in Bataan,” the energy chief said.

Lotilla said the ERC as the regulator would hold the full regulatory performance review, while the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. and the National Transmission Corp., as the counterparties to the concession agreement, would conduct a performance review.