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NAPOCOR Seeks Congress Aid to Augment its 2023 Budget

State-owned National Power Corporation (Napocor) earlier sought Congress’ help for the augmentation of its 2023 budget to ensure that it can sustain the operations of its 278 Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) plants nationwide.

In a letter addressed to the House Committee on Appropriations chaired by Rep. Elizaldy Co and vice-chaired by Rep. Stella Quimbo, Napocor emphasized the need for its supplemental budget to be included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2023 or that additional funding sources to cover the augmentation be approved this year.

“Inclusion of our proposed special provisions in the GAA would allow our Board to augment our budget if possible sources of funds become available without going back to Congress,” said Napocor president and CEO Fernando Martin Roxas.

Napocor said that the augmentation was due to the volatility of fuel prices which are currently priced twice as much than the initially available funds. Fuel accounts for almost 70% of the corporation’s operational costs for both its SPUG plants and new power provider subsidies (NPPs).

Roxas said that other contingency measures being considered are credit lines from the Landbank of the Philippines, immediate approval of tariff applications before the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and reimbursements for the advances it made in the maintenance of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) from 2011 to 2023 in the amount of 404 million.

As mandated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, Napocor powers up far-flung islands and communities not connected to the main grid. Along with NPPs/QTPs and with its 278 power plants and power barges and as operators of the transmission systems of six provinces, it provides electricity to around 1.3 million households in the countryside.

European Union funds solar home systems for 30,500 households in remote villages in Mindanao

𝘕𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳

DAVAO CITY - The European Union (EU), the World Bank, and the National Power Corporation (Napocor) on Monday afternoon held a ceremony in Mindanao to mark the completion and formally turn over 30,500 units of solar home systems (SHS) installed in isolated households of five electric cooperatives (ECs) in Bukidnon, Sultan Kudarat, Davao del Sur, Cotabato, and South Cotabato.

With an investment of EUR18.4 million EU grant, this work is part of the EU’s larger EUR 66 million-funded electrification program under the Access to Sustainable Energy Programme (ASEP). The work on the electrification of households in remote villages in Mindanao has been implemented since 2019 by Napocor, with the technical support of the World Bank. Before this, 10,000 SHS units had already been installed in the same areas, co-funded by the World Bank-managed Global Partnership on Output-based Aid (GPOBA).

“The European Union is committed to supporting the Philippines’ thrust to promote renewable energy and improve energy access. We are proud to have financed this action that reached vulnerable and isolated communities directly, providing a sustainable solution to a basic need such as access to electricity,” said Mr. Christoph Wagner, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to the Philippines.

Ndiamé Diop, the World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand, said that electrification is essential for poverty alleviation and inclusive growth, stressing the World Bank is gratified for being able to contribute to the government’s last-mile electrification campaign.

“There are still more than 1 million households in the Philippines without access to electricity, most of them in remote and isolated regions or islands of Mindanao,” said Mr. Diop.

He further said that government leadership, public financing, and off-grid renewable energy solutions are critical to bringing electricity to these remote and impoverished households and communities.

Napocor as ASEP implementing agency conducted the bulk procurement of SHS and facilitated the delivery and installation of 30,500 units to households within the franchise areas of the five participating electric cooperatives: Bukidnon Second Electric Cooperative Inc.(BUSECO), Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative Inc. (Sukelco), Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. (Dasureco), South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative Inc. (Socoteco II), and Cotabato Electric Cooperative Inc. (Cotelco).

Each SHS package includes a 50-watt peak solar panel, a charge controller with lithium-ion batteries that can power at least 4 LED bulbs, a radio, torchlight, and USB ports to charge gadgets. The SHS is mainstreamed in the systems of electric cooperatives in terms of connection, billing, collection, operation, and maintenance. With the formal turnover of the SHS equipment, the beneficiary households now become member-consumer-owner of the ECs and will have the same rights and obligations as those connected in the electric cooperatives’ distribution system.

“The project has been successful in many ways – we have provided sustainable, safe, and clean energy in isolated households in these areas and have increased photovoltaic technology talents through professional training to our electric cooperatives,” said Napocor Officer-in-Charge Atty. Melchor P. Ridulme.

Ridulme also expressed gratitude to the World Bank and EU for supporting the implementation of ASEP, particularly during the challenging times of the COVID19 pandemic. He shared that, drawing inspiration from the project, Napocor will also be distributing SHS in its Small Power Utility Group areas using Philippine government funds.

 

NP Board designates Chief Legal Counsel again as Napocor OIC Prexy as Marcos resigns

The National Power Board early this week has designated National Power Corporation (Napocor) Acting SVP & COO and Vice President/Legal Counsel Atty. Melchor Ridulme as Officer-in-Charge after sitting OIC DOE Undersecretary Donato Marcos tendered his resignation, effective immediately.

Marcos who stated health issues in his notice of resignation said that he also wants to concentrate on his role as career undersecretary at the Department of Energy in the meantime.
Atty. Ridulme will be Napocor’s OIC until a new Appointive Director is nominated by President-elect Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and formally elected as President and CEO by the National Power Board.

The NP Board has given him authority to approve and act on pressing matters that confront Napocor. This includes but is not limited to the following: sign contracts relating to the procurement of goods and services, approve disbursements of the corporation’s financial transactions, release funds and approve payroll of employees and personnel, issue office orders, and memoranda, and sign promotional appointments of employees.

Meanwhile, Atty. Ridulme said that the Corporation has recently finalized its inputs for the transition report being prepared by the Department of Finance for the next administration.
“Napocor management and our Office of the Corporate Secretary are also updating documents and presentations for the incoming Cabinet Secretaries and their alternates who will make up Napocor’s Governing Board,” Ridulme said.

NPC signs memorandum of understanding with PTFCF for watershed conservation & management

National Power Corporation (NPC) Officer-in-Charge Usec. Donato D. Marcos on Tuesday signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation (PTFCF)

Napocor opens its reforestation program to the private sector, provides avenue for power providers to offset carbon emission
 
State-owned National Power Corporation launches the Energy Sector Carbon Sequestration Initiative (ESCSI), a program that taps the private power generators to join the cause in mitigating the effects of climate change through reforestation.
 
“This program opens the nine watershed reservations under our stewardship to private entities who wish to offset their carbon footprint and contribute to the improvement of the country’s forest ecosystem and biodiversity,” said Forrester Emmanuel A. Umali, Napocor’s Watershed Management Department Manager.
 
The nine watersheds open for this program are Angat Watershed in Bulacan, Buhi-Barit Watershed in in Camarines Sur, Caliraya-Lumot Watershed in Laguna, Lake Lanao-Agus Watershed in Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte, Makiling-Banahaw Watershed in Batangas, Laguna and Quezon, Pulangi Watershed in Bukidnon, San Roque Watershed in Pangasinan, Tiwi Watershed in Camarines Sur and Albay, and Upper Agno Watershed in Benguet and Ifugao.
 
Napocor said that there’s a total of 56,000 hectares of watershed land open for reforestation under ESCSI.
 
As mandated by Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Act of 2001 (EPIRA), Napocor is tasked to also undertake watershed protection and rehabilitation functions to reservations that support power generation. In pursuit of this mandate, it is allocated with one-fourth of one centavo (P0.0025) of the Universal Charge – Environmental Charge collected from all electricity end-users.
 
“With the support of our private generators or power producers, we can hasten the restoration of the cited areas and contribute to providing livelihood and job employment opportunities in host communities. This will likewise greatly benefit our indigenous peoples in our watershed areas,” Umali said.
  1. Palace names DOE Usec as NPC OIC
  2. Napocor joins Mindoro co-ops meeting to address power shortage
  3. 𝐍𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝟑𝟎,𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐔 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 “𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬”

NPC-LFI CY 2020 Accomplishment Report
NPC-LFI CY 2019 Accomplishment Report
NPC-LFI CY 2018 Accomplishment Report
NPC-LFI Membership Form