Citicore eyes microgrid bid

Fresh from a successful debut at the stock exchange, Edgar Saavedra’s newly-listed Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) is mulling over participating in the second round of auction for Microgrid System Providers (MGSP) this year.

“We participated but we did not submit a bid but this next one looks good because the first one is scattered so there is no scale. In this next round, it’s a bit tight. So, let’s see,” CREC president Oliver Tan told reporters over dinner on Tuesday.

The Department of Energy (DoE) announced last weekend that it will kick off next month the next round of competitive bidding that would determine the rightful service provider for the electrification of 75 identified unserved and underserved areas in the country.

Interested MGSPs will be invited to prepare their proposals during the first week of August. These providers will have until the fourth week of August to submit their offers.

Meanwhile, the submission and opening of technical and financial bid proposals will be set in the first week of September. Once these timelines are followed, the DoE said a notice of award will likely be issued by early December.

The 2023-2032 National Total Electrification Roadmap has identified 407 areas in need of electrification, with 285 unserved areas comprising 20,103 households and 122 underserved areas with approximately 20,207 households.

Plant slated next year

Relatedly, Tan said the company is firming up the pre-construction works for its 153.5-megawatt Solar Power Plant venture in Limay, Bataan with San Miguel Global Light and Power Corp. (SGLP), a power unit under businessman Ramon S. Ang’s conglomerate.