DOE institutionalizes energy resiliency policy

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has institutionalized the adoption of a policy on energy resiliency to secure energy-related facilities as the country continues to reel from a number of natural calamities year in and out.

Cusi said the policy “Adoption of Energy Resiliency in the Planning and Programming of the Energy Sector to Mitigate Potential Impacts of Disasters” would aid industry partners to plan and address potential impacts of disasters since the Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to disasters.

This will institutionalize disaster resilience in the energy sector for strengthening energy systems and facilities, quick restoration and provision of alternative sources that will lessen the burden to our consumers during calamities, DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

Cusi earlier said the Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to natural calamities, experiencing an average of 20 typhoons per year, flash floods, storm surges, earthquakes and landslides.

The Energy Resiliency Policy aims to strengthen existing infrastructure facilities, implement the build back better principle in terms of reconstruction and rehabilitation, improve existing operational, maintenance and practices to ensure continuous operations and energy supply; and develop resiliency standards that will be used as basis in the future construction of energy facilities.

“These principles are geared towards mainstreaming disaster risk reduction to ensure energy resiliency as a priority to protect the people,” Cusi said.

One of the key features of the policy is the institutionalization of the Resiliency Compliance Plan, which provides engineering and non-engineering measures to ensure infrastructure and human resource disaster preparedness.

“Through this policy, we enjoin all the energy stakeholders to put upfront disaster risk reduction programs into their respective planning and investments,” Cusi said.

To oversee the implementation of the policy, the DOE is strengthening the Inter-agency Task Force on Securing Energy Facilities through the creation of the Task Force on Energy Resiliency.