Remote barangays to get electricity soon

More remote barangays in the country are expected to avail of the electrification program of the government as the Energy Regulatory Commission recently ordered the release of P1.34 billion fund to National Power Corporation-Small Power Utilities Group for the years 2005 to 2008 for the implementation of the program.

In its decision yesterday, the ERC authorized the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation to release the fund to NPC-SPUG and ordered the latter to submit within 15 days after the receipt of the fund reports on how it is being used.

But the commission warned the NPC-SPUG to submit reports about the utilization of the fund on time or it will be constrained to impose administrative and criminal sanctions.

On September 12, 2003, the NPC-SPUG filed a petition for the approval of its availment from the Universal Charge Missionary Electrification fund for the implementation of its projects from 2004 to 2008 in line with the Missionary Electrification Development Plan of the Department of Energy.

But on November 21 of the same year, the petitioner filed an amended petition as a result of several developments like the need for additional capacity in SPUG areas and the inclusion of existing generating facilities and associated power delivery systems under missionary electrification.

On September 17, 2004, the NPC-SPUG filed an urgent motion for the issuance of provisional authority for 2004 UC-ME seeking provisional authority in favor of its 2004 UC-ME and the corresponding authority for the PSALM to disburse the 2004 UC-ME collections.

A month after, the ERC, having found the NPC-SPUG petition sufficient in form and substance, issued an order and notice for public hearing scheduled on November 22, 2004.

On the same order, the commission also provisionally approved the release of P1.34 billion from the UC-ME to the NPC-SPUG for its missionary electrification function for 2004.

The existing NPC-SPUG areas comprise of 68 percent isolated grids and seven remote areas. To date, over 1,200 barangays are considered missionary areas as declared by the distribution utilities.

NPC-SPUG is committed to improve its service levels through rehabilitation, improvement, construction of additional capacities and installation of power delivery systems to ensure the efficiency and reliability of power supply, and to address the increasing demand of its coverage areas. - Wenna A. Berondo