THE Department of Energy (DOE) is creating a research team to craft energy policies that will address policy gaps, issues and concerns raised in the energy sector.
Under Department Order No. 2023-05-14, a DOE research team comprising of a steering committee and its technical working group (TWG) will be created. Among others, the team shall spearhead the harmonization and coordination of efforts to advance the conduct of energy policy research.
“It is imperative to harmonize efforts and create synergies among DOE technical bureaus to advance energy policy research,” the DOE said.
The steering committee will be chaired by the director of the Energy Policy and Planning Bureau (EPPB). The TWG, meanwhile, will be led by the chief of the Policy Formulation and Research Division and the EPPB. The members of the committee and the TWG will include representatives from various DOE bureaus.
The committee will be responsible for setting the priority and direction on the conduct of policy research, provide guidance on policy formulation, review and approve research proposals.
The TWG, for its part, will conduct joint policy research and related studies on areas of concern of the sector, collaborate with other government agencies, prepare research proposals, among others.
The data to be collected shall be used strictly for policy research and related studies within the DOE and shall not be used in any way for commercial purposes or legally against or to the disadvantage of the source of the data such as generation companies, independent power producer administrators, transmission system, operator, distribution utilities and their customers, among others.
“Energy research is an important medium for addressing policy issues and concerns in the energy sector, provides empirical evidence for the crafting and implementation of sound policy guidelines and issuance, and addresses the need for updated energy data and parameters to establish facts or new conclusions,” the DOE order entitled Creation of the DOE Research Team for Energy Policy Research and Related Studies stated.