Marcos: 100% electrification ‘within reach’ but 68 grid connections ‘much delayed’

Complete electrification of the Philippines is now "within reach" as the government is looking to address delays in the interconnection of grids and invite foreign investors in renewable energy, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Monday.

During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said nearly 500,000 homes have been given access to electricity since he resumed office in June 2022.

"We will spare no effort to achieve full household electrification by the end of my term. 100% is within our reach," he said.

He did not provide the current figures for the country.

This comes as Marcos said the country now has a unified national grid but noted that there are 68 grid connections "much delayed" based on the count of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

"We are conducting a performance review of our private concessionaire, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). We look to NGCP to complete all of the deliverables, starting with the vital Mindanao-Visayas and Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections," he said.

In January, National Electrification Administration (NEA) Administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said that 100% electrification is expected by 2028, the end of Marcos’ term.

"When it comes to energy, renewable energy is the way forward. We are aggressively promoting renewables so that they provide a 35% share in the power mix by 2030 and then on to 50% by 2040," Marcos said.

"To accelerate the realization of this green energy goal, we have opened renewable energy projects to foreign investors," he added.

Under the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Department Circular 2022-11-0034 signed by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla in November 2022, foreign investors have been allowed to engage in the exploration, development, and utilization of the country’s renewable energy resources.

Marcos said there have been 126 renewable energy contracts awarded in the past year, with a potential capacity of 31,000 megawatts (MW). Active projects across the country include 299 solar, 187 wind, 436 hydroelectric, 58 biomass, 36 geothermal, and nine ocean power projects.

Aside from this, Marcos said the government will continue to push for more gas exploration in other parts of the country aside from Malampaya, which energizes 20% of Luzon.

He said the government has partnered with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on energy exploration and development, along with the utilization of its territorial jurisdiction. 

"All available resources"

In a separate statement released on Monday evening, the NGCP committed to concentrating “all available resources” on the completion of ongoing transmission projects.

“We agree with the President’s sentiments. Even before the SONA, NGCP has already been working towards the vision that he mentioned,” NGCP president and chief executive officer Anthony Almeda said.

“After hearing it straight from him — his vision that is completely aligned with ours — we know that we are on the right track and we’re more motivated to complete all our objectives in a prompt manner,” he added.

The NGCP said the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) is on track to be fully energized to 450 MW by the third quarter of the year, while the third stage of the Cebu-Negros-Panay Interconnection Project (CNP) is ongoing.

It said it has already called for the support of local government units (LGUs) by promptly granting the relevant permits and assisting in addressing right-of-way issues.

“We reiterate our call for what the President termed as a ‘cohesive, centralized, and systematic approach’ to planning, including that for energy for stability, resiliency, and independence,” the statement read.

“We echo the President’s observation that while national goals are all within reach, this will require not just the work of a single person or a single branch of government, nor even the whole government acting alone, but the collective efforts achieved only by all Filipinos working together,” it added. —VBL/ VAL, GMA Integrated News