NEA urges ECs to shift to RE

State-run National Electrification Administration (NEA) urged electric cooperatives (ECs) to shift to renewable energy (RE) in rural electrification as the country transitions to a clean energy scenario.

“We must review our resources for transitioning into renewable energy. It is part of the Philippine Energy Plan,” NEA administrator Emmanuel Juaneza said.

Juaneza set the direction of rural electrification in consideration of the new national leadership during the two-day consultative conference with ECs held last week.

In protecting the ECs’ interests, Juaneza also invited ECs to ensure that their competency as business entities and providers shall be at par or better than that of the private companies.

This entails revisiting their relationship with the member consumer-owners (MCOs) and strengthening linkages with local government units (LGUs) and members of the House of Representatives.

NEA board member Agustin Maddatu said the ECs’ mandate must be continued and fulfilled despite uncertainties like the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, the advent of recession and the surge in fuel prices.

Meanwhile, among the proposed resolutions during the conference are specific means to better communicate issues with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), to improve the allocation of funds, the transition to renewable energy, the quality of power supply and services, consumer connection, modernization of EC-MCO linkages and systems, and compliance for franchise renewal.

Last year, the NEA advised the ECs to adopt Renewable Energy Development Plan (REDP) in support of the DOE’s goal to achieve 35 percent renewable energy share in the power generation mix by 2030.

The REDP is a planning tool that can help the ECs to identify the most feasible and least-cost renewable energy development options. The plan will set out the indicative interim target of ECs share in the 35 percent target of the government on RE power generation.

ECs can include the developmental schedule of owning embedded generation facilities in its planning, considering the EC’s existing and future power contracts.

This, as it previously urged ECs to put up embedded power generation and add more RE supply – like solar, wind, hydro, and biomass – in their power mix to ensure enough supply in their covered areas.