Kansai Electric Power announced on April 4, 2019, that it has obtained electric power distribution services in New Clark City in the Philippines. Kansai Electric Power will work with Marubeni[1] (a major integrated trading and investment business conglomerate), Chubu Electric Power, and the Manila Electric Company (MERALC) to provide power distribution service in New Clark City for 25 years.
The Philippines is currently developing New Clark City, an industrial city which used to be a U.S. Air Force Base. The project is operated by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), a government-owned and controlled development corporation.[2] In order to support the development of New Clark City, the group led by Kansai Electric Power will be responsible for retail electric business activities as well as design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the power distribution system through smart grid technologies. Through its subsidiary KPIC Netherland, Kansai Electric Power also plans to establish a local power distribution company with Marubeni, Chubu Electric Power, MERALCO, and BCDA, and to invest in a 9% stake in the company.
The group is currently preparing for the installation of the power distribution system. The system is scheduled to begin operation at the end of November in 2019, when a biennial multi-sports event, the Southeast Asian Games, will be held. The project is the first time that Kansai Electric Power has joined the power distribution and retail electric business outside of Japan.[3]
[1] https://www.marubeni.com/en/