Maharlika Consortium lone qualified bidder as micro-grid service provider
By Alena Mae S. Flores – January 1, 2024, 12:00 am
from manilastandard.net
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced over the weekend that Maharlika Consortium, a group of three companies, submitted complete bid proposals during the first micro grid service provider-competitive selection process (MGSP-CSP).
The consortium, consisting of Clean Power Holdings Inc., Singapore-based CleanGrid Partners and Singapore-based renewable energy company WEnergy Global, is the only qualified bidder during the Dec. 27 MGSP-CSP.
It involves selecting the MGSP that will provide energy to an initial 98 unserved and underserved areas nationwide.
Republic Act (RA) No. 11646, or the Microgrid Systems Act of 2022, mandates the conduct of a CSP before an MGSP can serve off-grid areas.
“While we received proposals from only one pre-qualified bidder and acknowledge that we may not encompass all 98 declared unserved and underserved areas, we deem our pilot implementation of the MGSP-CSP a success,” Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said in a statement.
“This is a crucial step forward, as it ensures that communities will soon benefit from deploying microgrid systems. Learning from this pilot CSP experience, we are committed to implementing enhancements for the next round of MGSP-CSP scheduled in 2024,” Guevara said.
The agency opened the bids for the unserved and underserved areas, which were clustered into 49 lots.
It said that of nine pre-qualified bidders, it received six complete bid proposals, both financial and technical, from the Maharlika Consortium, covering eight lots that include unserved areas in the provinces of Cebu, Quezon and Palawan.
These are lots No. 5 and No. 6 under the Cebu II Electric Cooperative Inc., lots No. 18 and No. 19 under the Quezon II Electric Cooperative Inc. and lots No. 34 and 37, No. 35 and 26 under the Palawan Electric Cooperative Inc.
The DOE said after the careful evaluation and deliberation of the MGSP-special bids and awards committee (SBAC), the proposals of the Maharlika Consortium were considered passed and endorsed for bid evaluation, which would be completed on Feb. 20, 2024.
It said that if the proposals of Maharlika Consortium be would found in accordance with the requirements of the terms of reference, RA 11646 and its implementing rules and regulations, a post-qualification process will be conducted before the DOE could render the notice of award by March 2024.
Guevara said the DOE was grateful to the nine pre-qualified bidders who participated in the bidding process.
The prequalified MGSP proponents were DMCI Power Corp., Smart Power Solutions Corporations; Alternative Power Resource Holdings Inc., MSpectrum, Inc.; Maharlika Consortium; Powersource OEG Services, Inc.; One Renewable Energy Enterprise, Inc.; FP Island Energy Corp.; and Vivant Energy Corp.
The DOE assured it would continue to work with the private sector to provide sustainable and reliable energy solutions to the Filipino people.
