NEA fasttracks rural electrification target

MANILA, Philippines - The National Electrification Administration (NEA) has accelerated its rural electrification target, now aiming to have 10,000 sitios covered by the Sitio Electrification Program before the end of the year, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said in a press conference yesterday.

Originally, the government programmed to have roughly 6,000 sitios covered by its electrification program this year.

However, Petilla said it was necessary to accelerate the goal of the Aquino administration to cover 33,000 sitios under the rural re-electrification program by 2015.

“The original target for the year was a little more than 6,000,” he said.

He said the government has set aside P6.5 billion to implement the accelerate target.

NEA, a government owned-and-controlled corporation, is tasked to carry out total electrification on an area coverage basis, through the electric cooperatives.

Through the NEA-electric cooperatives partnership, 100 percent of the barangays within the area coverage of the electric cooperatives are already energized.

The Sitio Electrification Program is part of President Aquino’s priority programs.

Last year, NEA received a total of P4.053 billion from the National Government to cover the electrification of 6,451 sitios.