Department Circular No. DC2026-06-0013

Prescribing the guidelines for the conduct of the mid-merit natural gas capacity auction for gas-fired power generation.

Date published: 11 June 2026, 11:30 PM

Published at: Official Gazette

Date published [mm/dd/yyyy]: 06/11/2026

Last reviewed: 2026-08-09

WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) declares the State policy of ensuring the quality, reliability, and affordability of electric power while protecting public interest and promoting competition, and mandates the Department of Energy (DOE) to formulate rules, establish market mechanisms, and provide incentives to ensure adequate supply and attain the objectives of the Act.

The scanned preview of the signed circular is legible in part. Visible text transcribed below. Full text is in the attached PDF:

Department Circular No. DC2026-06-0013

Prescribing the Guidelines for the Conduct of the Mid-Merit Natural Gas Capacity Auction for Gas-Fired Power Generation

WHEREAS, Republic Act (RA) No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA) declares the State policy of ensuring the quality, reliability, and affordability of electric power while protecting public interest and promoting competition, and mandates the Department of Energy (DOE) to formulate rules, establish market mechanisms, and provide incentives to ensure adequate supply and attain the objectives of the Act;

WHEREAS, RA No. 7638, otherwise known as the "DOE Act of 1992" or the "DOE Charter", declares it as a policy of the State to, among others, ensure a continuous, adequate, and economic supply of energy through the integrated and intensive exploration, production, management and development of the country's indigenous energy resources;

WHEREAS, RA No. 12120, otherwise known as the "Philippine Natural Gas Industry Development Act", was enacted to establish a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework for the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Industry, aiming to promote natural gas as a safe, efficient, and transition fuel toward a low-carbon future; and to prioritize the utilization of indigenous natural gas over imported liquefied natural gas to enhance national energy security;

WHEREAS, Section 2(b) of RA No. 12120 specifically mandates the State to develop natural gas as a reliable fuel for power plants capable of addressing the peaking, mid-merit, and baseload demand of the country to help achieve energy security, while progressively transitioning to renewable energy sources;

WHEREAS, Section 2(c) of RA No. 12120 further directs the State to promote natural gas as an energy fuel with the potential to meet increasing local demand and to develop the Philippines as a Liquefied Natural Gas trading and transshipment hub within the Asia Pacific Region;

WHEREAS, Section 23 of RA No. 12120 mandates the transparent and secure [text cut off in preview].