Marcos aims for 100% electrification by term’s end

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. pledged full household electrification by the end of his term.

“Alongside power generation, we are also as relentless in pursuing total electrification,” Marcos stated during his second State of the Nation Address on Monday.

“Since my assumption into office, almost half a million homes have been given access to electricity. We will spare no effort to achieve full household electrification by the end of my term. One hundred percent is within our reach,” he said.

Marcos said that his administration was able to open eight additional power plants over the past year that increased energy production by 1,174 megawatts.

“We have built 8 new additional power plants,” Marcos said. “This brings to 17 the total number of power generation facilities that have been switched on across the country since last year, substantially increasing our energy production by 1,174 megawatts.”

He also said that renewable energy is the way forward, saying that the government has opened renewable energy projects to foreign investments

“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,” Marcos said.

As part of this green energy goal, the country has opened renewable energy projects to foreign investments.

“Since last year, an additional 126 renewable energy contracts with the potential capacity of 31,000 megawatts have been awarded,” Marcos said.

“To date, we have over a thousand active projects spread all over the country: 299 of these are solar; 187 are wind; 436 are hydroelectric; 58 biomass; 36 geothermal; and 9 are ocean-powered,” he added.

The nation currently hosts over a thousand active renewable energy projects, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal, and ocean power facilities.

Marcos also recognized the contributions of the Malampaya project, which provides power to 20 percent of Luzon. The contract’s renewal ensures continuous energy production and revenue for another 15 years. Moreover, he stated that the government will encourage more gas exploration projects nationwide.

He further acknowledged the partnership with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao concerning energy exploration, development, and utilization, expressing expectations for renewed investor interest in the region’s promising sites.

Marcos also hailed the establishment of the “One Grid, One Market” Unified National Grid, connecting Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

He did, however, express concern over the delay of 68 grid connections, pledging to conduct a performance review of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

Marcos emphasized the importance of completing all deliverables, particularly the crucial Mindanao-Visayas and Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections.

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