Speaking at a virtual press conference recently on the Role of ElectricCooperatives and Other Players in Addressing Challenges in the EnergySector, De Jesus said the problems confronting the country’s ECs are notbecause of the distribution sector alone.
He cited the “inefficiencies and long overdue needto review policies of government regulatory agencies” to have contributed tothe issues affecting the ECs.
De Jesus specifically mentionedon the needto fast-track the CAPEX (capital expenditures) and Power Supply Agreement (PSA) applications,and competitive selection process(CSP) by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) “These applications are vital to the overalloperations and services of the electric cooperatives to their consumers”,he said.
“The ERC needs to augment its technicalmanpower in order to effectively perform its function and review andprocess the applications in a timely manner. CAPEX plans of the electriccooperatives are essential to undertake the projects and improvementsnecessary for the upkeep of the distribution facilities andinfrastructures. The CAPEX and PSA are important in providing reliable andaffordable electricity service to the member consumer-owners. Any delay isan impediment to the progress in rural communities,” De Jesus said. Judy Quiros