Storm-hit homes promised power by Christmas

Power in households affected by recent weather disturbances is expected to be fully restored before Christmas as the government and private partners race to complete repairs in storm-hit areas.

“Our assurance is, so many typhoons have passed and those that were affected, the last to be finished is Catanduanes which is December 22; the rest should be energized by now,” Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said at a media briefing on Monday.

“It is really complicated, a lot was destroyed and many landslides, but what we want to do is build back better, stronger,” she said.

The upgraded poles, she added, are now sturdier and designed to withstand winds of up to 300 kilometers per hour to reduce future outages. “Hopefully, it stays put, and we will not repeat the restoration again.”

She also detailed efforts to relocate electric poles for easier access during disasters. “There are poles placed on the mountains because they did not follow; the poles came first before the road… what we will do is we will transfer them and bring them closer to the road,” Garin said.

As repairs continue, the Department of Energy is also preparing longer-term resilience measures.

By next year, the agency is eyeing to design at least one typhoon-prone city with underground power cables to further strengthen reliability.

Garin added that next year’s expanded electrification program, backed by an estimated P10-billion National Electrification budget, will support three approaches: regular electrification funding for cooperatives, solar home systems for far-flung households, and mobile energy systems.

“There are three ways, and hopefully we can keep going as long as we have the budget,” she said.