The Department of Energy is eyeing to get a budget of P2.3 billion for 2020, saying it intends to use up to P500 million of this to fund its continued implementation of the Total Electrification Program (TEP).
The TEP is a government priority project which is meant to see the energization of the remaining underserved and unserved households nationwide, in close partnership with the National Electrification Administration and the National Power Corporation.
In his opening statement before Congress, DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said, “Our budgetary request will support plans and programs that would help ensure the security of our country’s energy future, increase access to energy services and technologies, further uphold consumer welfare, and facilitate the efficient implementation of new energy policies such as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act, the Murang Kuryente Act, and the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop Act.”
In a statement, the DOE broke down the proposed budget as follows:
- P 1.14 billion or almost 50% is for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE)
- P 521 million or 23% is for Capital Outlay (CO)
- P 580 million or 25% for Personal Services
- P 52 million or 2% for Retirement and Life Insurance Premiums.
Some P199 million of P1.14 billion of the MOOE will go to the TEP program, while P300 million of the P521 million allocation for CO is earmarked for the procurement of distributed energy generation systems and microgrids for the TEP.
The DOE, in a statement, said: “During this critical mid-point of President Duterte’s administration, the DOE remains persistent in pursuing its eight-point priority program comprised of National and Regional Energy Planning, Conventional Energy Development, National Renewable Energy, Downstream Energy Development, Electric Power Industry Development, Total Electrification, National Energy Efficiency and Conservation, and Alternative Fuels and Energy Technologies.”
