NEA allots P165 million for renewable energy

MANILA, Philippines — State-run National Electrification Administration (NEA) is allotting P165 million this year for renewable projects this year.

The projects include the installation of 5,000 solar home systems in rural areas.

Pushing for renewable energy projects will help in meeting NEA’s target of energizing 775 more sitios nationwide this year.

“Electric cooperatives are rising to the challenge of intensified electrification of remote communities while along the process are mindful of climate realities,” NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said.

“As we move towards fulfilling our mandate of full electrification of the nation, we also ensure that our energy needs are responsive to calls for cleaner power sources and lesser carbon footprint,” he said.

For remote and isolated communities without grid access,  NEA is encouraging electric cooperatives (ECs) to pursue the use of mini-grid system and distributed generation.

As of the end of 2018, NEA and its partner ECs were able to connect to the grid a total of 1,931 sitios under the Sitio Electrification Program (SEP).

The connections are significantly higher than the targeted 1,817 sitios for 2018—560 in Luzon, 552 in Visayas, and 705 in Mindanao.

But of the actual electrified sitios, 977 are located in Mindanao, 493 in Visayas, and 461 in Luzon.

NEA is paying special attention to energizing the rural areas in Mindanao because it has the lowest electricity access rate. The sitio energization level in Mindanao is at 77 percent as of November.

The overall target is to attain 100-percent electrification of households by 2022.