THE Department of Energy (DOE) has formed a committee to oversee and speed up the country’s electrification program.
“To effectively implement the various issuances, the DOE recognizes the need to organize a new steering committee dedicated to supervise and provide directions in the implementation of various plans and program for the provision of electricity access to communities that are identified as unserved and underserved by DUs (distribution utilities) and other responsible entities,” Department Order 2022-12-16 read.
The Total Electrification Steering Committee (TESC) will serve as an oversight body in formulating and consolidating various programs and activities that will allow full access to electricity of communities that are identified as unserved and underserved by DUs (distribution utilities) and other responsible entities.
The members of the committee, which will be headed by a DOE undersecretary, include representatives from the National Electrification Administration, National Power Corp. (NPC) and the National Transmission Corp.
Among others, the committee will: supervise and provide direction in the formulation of the National Total Electrification Roadmap (NTER), a consolidated Local Total Electrification Roadmap (LTER) of DUs nationwide; monitor the implementation of NTER; provide timely resolution of policy gaps; and, perform other function as may be directed by the DOE Secretary.
The NTER is targeted to be released within the first half of this year and will serve as the basis for the updated household electrification targets, which will be incorporated in the Philippine Energy Plan.
The TESC will be supported by a technical by a technical working group (TWG), which will be chaired by the director of the DOE Electric Power Industry Management Bureau and co-chaired by the NPC Corporate Affairs group. The members of the TWG will be composed of various representatives from the DOE, NEA and NPC.
The TWG will formulate the NTER in consultation with concerned agencies. The TESC will submit to the DOE Secretary the NTER for approval within 30 days.
Funding will be sourced from the electrification program of the approved budgets of the DOE and its attached agencies.
As of June last year, electrification at the household level in the country stood at 95.8 percent. Luzon recorded the highest electrification at 98.8 percent followed by Visayas at 97.2 percent. Mindanao’s household electrification registered at 87.1 percent.