COME BACK STRONGER: "The Philippines is advanced in energy resiliency, because of our experiences in disaster management. We need to look into our practices and share it with the other distribution utilities so they may be more responsive to the changing landscape of disaster response," Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella emphasized during the After-Action Review.
LEGAZPI CITY – Upon the instruction of Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, the Department of Energy (DOE)-led Task Force on Energy Resiliency (TFER) conducted yesterday (22 February) an After-Action Review (AAR) on the energy sector’s response after several natural disasters devasted the Bicol region towards the end of last year.
In 2020, Typhoon Quinta, Super Typhoon Rolly, and Typhoon Ulysses slammed the region and destroyed energy infrastructure, leaving vital establishments and homes without electricity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The extent of damages to some areas were so bad that to date, First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative (FICELCO) and Albay Power Energy Corporation-Albay Electric Cooperative (APEC-ALECO) are still working to restore power services in their respective franchise areas.
“The entire energy family must work together to ensure that our energy systems are strong and resilient enough to withstand any calamity. Through this AAR, we can look back and learn how we could further improve our disaster risk reduction and management strategies,” Secretary Cusi said.
The AAR served as an avenue for the performance assessment of the energy family’s preparedness before, during, and after last year’s disasters. Among the review’s objectives were to: (1) identify measures that would strengthen existing infrastructure to adapt and withstand various conditions, (2) analyze emerging mitigation improvement measures of reconstruction and rehabilitation that are aligned with the Build-Back-Better principles, (3) identify improvements on operational and maintenance standards and practices, and (4) discuss resiliency standards.
During the review, the region’s distribution utilities (DUs) presented their experiences and discussed the challenges they have encountered, and lessons learned.
For the DOE’s part, Energy Undersecretary and Spokesperson Felix William B. Fuentebella underscored the importance of the Energy Resiliency Policy (DOE Department Circular No. DC2018-01-0001) which created the TFER, and the establishment of the four pillars of energy resiliency comprised of (1) strengthening infrastructure; (2) establishment of systems; (3) stockpiling; and (4) response and recovery.
“These four pillars of energy resiliency must be reviewed regularly for the industry to establish better protocols to be conducted before, during and after the occurrence of the calamities,” Secretary Cusi emphasized.
Present for the AAR were TFER members National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the National Power Corporation (NPC); concerned DUs such as the Camarines Sur I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CASURECO I), Camarines Sur II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CASURECO II), Camarines Sur III Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CASURECO III), Camarines Sur IV Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CASURECO IV), Camarines Norte Electric Cooperative, Inc. (CANORECO), FICELCO, and APEC-ALECO; as well as representatives from the Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (PHILRECA) and Bicol Electric Cooperatives Association (BECA).
“The challenges of 2020 have highlighted the urgent need for us to raise our understanding and implementation of energy resilience to the highest level. The DOE is always here to guide and assist all members of the energy family towards this end,” Secretary Cusi concluded.
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