THE implementation of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) will push through despite the clash between government forces and the Maute Group in Marawi City and the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, an official of the Department of Energy (DOE) said.
"The Marawi situation will not affect the implementation of the electricity market in Mindanao. Flexibility and resiliency of the power facilities in the interconnected Mindanao Power System are among the features of having a spot market," said DOE undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella in an emailed statement to SunStar Davao.
He added that the gross pool system pushes Mindanao power players to be more efficient and more responsive to the situation on the ground.
"Hence, the launch and eventual market operation of the Mindanao wholesale electricity spot market is very important to ensure electricity supply is provided 24/7 in a transparent manner," Fuentebella said.
He also said with the current happenings in Mindanao, DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi is more determined to bring out the full potential of the energy sector for country as a whole.
"From resource development, power and oil industry management, energy utilization and market development, the DOE is leading the energy players to compete and bring wealth for the nation," Fuentebella said.
He also said DOE and the industry partners are also focused to push through with the trial operations of WESM on June 26, 2017.
"It will not involve commercial transactions until the readiness criteria for the industry players is fully addressed," Fuentebella said.
According to the WESM website at www.wesm.ph, WESM "is a venue for trading electricity as a commodity. It serves as a clearing house to reflect the economic value of electricity for a particular period, as indicated by the 'spot price'."