President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is looking at 100 percent electrification of the Philippines by the end of his term in 2028.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his second State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 24, 2023. (Malacañang photo)
In his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) that lasted for 70 minutes, Marcos said his administration is exerting all efforts to address delays in the grids’ interconnection.
“We will spare no effort to achieve full household-electrification by the end of my term. 100% is within our reach,” he said.
The Chief Executive noted the 500,000 homes in the country that have been given access to electricity since he assumed office last year.
Marcos raised the possibility of having complete electrification of the country as it has now a Unified National Grid.
“The ‘One Grid, One Market’ will enable more efficient transfers and more competitive pricing of electricity throughout the country,” he said.
But having said that, Marcos admitted 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. We look to NGCP to complete all of its deliverables, starting with the vital Mindanao-Visayas and Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections,” he said.
When it comes to energy, the President stressed “renewable energy is the way forward.”
“We are aggressively promoting renewables, so that it provides a 35 percent share in the power mix by 2030, and then on to 50 percent by 2040,” he said.
According to Marcos, the government has also invited foreign investors in renewable energy to make full electrification within reach.
He cited there have been an additional 126 renewable energy contracts in the past year, with a potential capacity of 31,000 megawatts have been awarded.
The active projects nationwide include 299 solar, 187 wind, 436 hydroelectric, 58 biomass, 36 geothermal, and nine ocean-powered.
Marcos also expressed support for the renewal of the contract of the Malampaya project, saying that it has been “a boon to our country, energizing 20 percent of Luzon,” since this could guarantee revenues and energy production for the next 15 years.
Besides Malampaya, the Chief Executive is also eyeing “more gas exploration in other parts of the country.”