By David Cagahastian
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P1.04 billion to the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the wider program to connect millions of households across the country not connected to the national power grid at present.
The DOE program to provide electricity to these households involves installing solar-powered home systems that can supply power for lighting and appliances.
“This release will support the goal of 90-percent household electrification by 2017, and energize millions of households not connected to the grid through solar power,” Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said in a statement.
The DBM explained that the P1.04 billion will be categorized under the “For later release” list of the DOE’s budget for 2016, which means that the actual disbursements to the payees shall be subject to compliance with required documents and clearances, such as Work and Financial Plan, project profiles and certain percentages of completion.
From 2012 to 2016, the DOE estimated it would have already brought electricity to some 4.5 million households not yet connected to the grid using renewable energy, particularly solar energy. This should help lift the percentage of households with electricity to 88.4 percent.
The DOE had been banking on solar energy as the easiest way to bring power to households which are not connected to the grid, and is encouraging more investors to put up more solar-power plants to fill up the demand for energy in those areas.
Earlier this week, President Aquino inaugurated the 63.3-megawatt solar farm in Calatagan, Batangas, operated by Solar Philippines Corp. of Leandro Leviste, son of Sen. Loren Legarda.
At the inauguration, Energy Undersecretary Donato Marcos encouraged more investments in renewable-energy ventures, and cited the importance of the private sector in achieving the target of doubling the energy output of renewable energy systems by 2030.
“With the Philippines as one of the members of the Asean that initially banked on solar power way back in the 1990s for rural electrification in 2004 for grid-type system, we are glad to see so many solar-energy investors putting up large-scale projects, such as what we have here, that will ensure energy supply sustainability for the years to come,” he said.