A Senate body has called on the Department of Energy (DoE) to expedite its microgrid electrification program with the dual purpose of providing electricity to homes and businesses in rural areas and enhancing the grid’s capacity to integrate renewable energy sources.

“Microgrids are a critical infrastructure for the electrification of our rural communities. The Department of Energy should undertake steps to further expedite the development of microgrids to help propel the electrification of unserved and underserved areas,” the Senate Committee on Energy indicated regarding the filing of Republic Act 11646 or the Microgrid Systems Act of 2022.

The panel pointed out that microgrid development also complements the development of renewable energy in the country as it can easily absorb renewable energies, such as those derived from solar, wind, and ocean.

CSP completes first round

Early this month, the DoE concluded the first round of competitive selection process (CSP) and awarded the development of microgrid systems in eight unserved areas in Cebu, Quezon and Palawan to the Maharlika Consortium.

Following the success of the maiden CSP, the DoE said it will target to start the second round of MGSP-CSP within the year for new areas, as well as those areas with no proposals.

Based on a 2020 survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority, about 27.6 percent, or roughly 479,029 households in missionary areas are still without electricity.