THE Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperative (Amreco), GN Power Kauswagan (GNPK), PsagCOr, and the Department of Energy (DOE) hosted a forum on demand aggregation program at Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST) on May 14 to ensure a secure steady power supply in Mindanao and attract investors.

Sergio Dagooc, Amreco president, said the essence of the program is to ensure that they will attract credible investors who will put a new power plant in Mindanao.

Dagooc said that it can help the government in addressing the power supply shortage, as it guarantees "additional capacity" in Mindanao.

Eduardo Fernandez, of Electric Power Industry Management Bureau of DOE, said the program will also help provide reliable power source through transparent and competitive bidding process among distribution utilities (DUs) and electric cooperatives (ECs).

Lawyer Vicar Lofranco, Amreco legal consultant, said small-scale cooperatives can contribute a big amount in the power industry through "engaging with the power suppliers at the least cost possible."

Different ECs in Mindanao attended the forum, including members of the academe especially engineering students from MUST, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), and Lourdes College.

Dagooc said the forum was to inculcate in the minds of the students that their struggles for the power industry are not for their own interests, but for the next generation. (PJ Orias/With Mark Vergara, James Andrew, MSU-Marawi interns)