Aboitiz cements dominance as Phl's largest power producer

Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. or AEV, the investment arm of the Aboitiz Group that controls the Aboitiz Power Corp., emerged as the country's largest power producer in terms of installed generating capacity and market share.

Based on the latest data published by the Energy Regulatory Commission, or ERC, AEV presently has the highest installed generating capacity nationwide, accounting for 22.47 percent of the total national share.

The company's capacity stands at 5,745,221 kilowatts or kW.

San Miguel Corp. followed with 5,057,360 kW of capacity, which covered 19.78 percent of the total market share.

First Gen Corp. was in third place with a power generation capacity of 3,392,890 kW, representing 13.27 percent of the national grid.

Meanwhile, Ayala Corp. held a capacity of 1,426,932 kW, equivalent to 5.58 percent of the national grid.

For the entire year, the ERC had already set the projected installed generating capacity and market share limitation for the national grid.

The ERC said that the installed generating capacity at the national grid should only be at 25,567,270 kW, with a market share limitation of 25 percent or 6,391,818 kW.

The regulatory body sets the said figures annually and may also be adjusted as necessary based on the maximum capacity of generation facilities.

Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, no company or related group can own, operate, or control more than 30 percent of the installed generating capacity of a grid and/or 25 percent of the national share.