Question & AnswerQ&A (ERC Resolution NO. 17, S. 2011)
The purpose of ERC Resolution No. 17, S. 2011 is to approve and adopt the "Investor-Owned Electric Distribution Utility Planning Manual" which provides a comprehensive and integrated development plan for investor-owned or privately-owned electric distribution utilities (DUs) in the Philippines.
The ERC approved and adopted the Investor-Owned Electric Distribution Utility Planning Manual on July 6, 2011.
The formulation was based on earlier ERC Resolutions such as No. 13 (Series of 2006) and No. 18 (Series of 2008), a Memorandum of Agreement in 2009 adopting the Electric Cooperative Distribution Utility Planning Manual, and Resolution No. 26 (Series of 2009) which amended rules for regulated entities’ capital expenditure projects.
The ERC, National Electrification Administration (NEA), Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (PHILRECA), National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives (NAGMEC), and Association of Mindanao Rural Electric Cooperatives Association (AMRECO) collaborated in the formulation of the ECDUPM.
It complies with the Philippine Distribution Code (PDC), safety standards set by the Philippine Electrical Code (PEC), and the Rules for Setting Distribution Wheeling Rates (RDWR).
The plan is significant for systematic and economic expansion and rehabilitation of distribution facilities, acquisition of necessary assets, meeting safety and performance standards, complying with regulatory requirements, and supporting structural or institutional planning and development of electric utilities.
The resolution takes effect after fifteen (15) days following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines.
The ERC posted the proposed manual on its official website for public comments from June 7 to June 15, 2011, and conducted a public hearing on June 23, 2011 to allow stakeholders to present their inputs which were then considered in the final preparation of the manual.
Copies of the Resolution are furnished to the University of the Philippines Law Center-Office of the National Administrative Register (UPLC-ONAR) and all investor-owned or privately-owned electric distribution utilities.
The ERC utilizes its previous Resolutions Nos. 13 (Series of 2006), 18 (Series of 2008), and 26 (Series of 2009) which provide guidelines and rules to govern the submission, evaluation, and approval of capital projects of electric distribution utilities, making manuals like the Investor-Owned Electric Distribution Utility Planning Manual integral parts of its regulatory framework.