Manila: A First Gen Corporation (First Gen) official on Tuesday urged business owners to take advantage of government programs designed to reduce electricity costs. One such initiative is the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), which allows businesses under the same distribution utility to aggregate their energy demand to meet the Energy Regulatory Commission's (ERC) minimum threshold and negotiate lower power rates as contestable consumers.

According to Philippines News Agency, last year, the ERC lowered the RAP threshold from 500 kilowatts (kW) to 100kW per month, enabling more consumers to participate. The new rule will take effect on June 26, 2026. Another program is the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), which allows contestable consumers to choose renewable energy (RE) as their electricity source.

Carlo Vega, First Gen chief customer engagement officer, said these programs introduced by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the ERC allow customers to benefit from sustainable power while rationalizing electricity costs. "We encourage businesses to check if they qualify for the contestable market and explore direct power supply," he said in a statement sent to the Philippine News Agency.

First Gen currently has a renewable energy portfolio totaling 1,700 megawatts (MW), including geothermal, hydro, solar and wind facilities. To address RE intermittency, the company acquired a 40-percent stake in four gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,017MW.

On Tuesday, First Gen announced a geothermal energy supply agreement with Shang Properties for Shang Grand Tower in Makati City. This adds to the company's partnerships, which include geothermal power supply to seven Unilever Philippines sites, rooftop solar installations at four major facilities, and clean energy use in Araneta City.