NEA to impose sanctions on electric cooperatives resisting solar push

MANILA, Philippines — The National Electrification Administration (NEA) will impose sanctions on electric cooperatives that resist the agency’s push to install solar home systems, its representative said Tuesday.

During a hearing of the Senate committee on urban planning, housing, and resettlement, Sen. Francis Escudero said he was aware of electric cooperatives resisting the installation of solar systems in town centers.

He noted that these areas tend to have higher collection efficiency and lower system losses than communities farther from the center.

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Asked if the agency was aware of this, NEA Deputy Administrator for Legal Services Rossan Rosero-Lee said she had no knowledge of such cases.

According to Escudero, some cooperatives are reluctant to support solar installations in areas where electricity distribution is more profitable.

Rosero-Lee said the NEA had been strongly advocating for electric cooperatives to adopt renewable energy sources, including solar home systems, in both rural and urban areas.

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The NEA representative said she would relay concerns about resistance on the ground to the administration.

Escudero then asked if there were existing sanctions for cooperatives resisting the push. Rosero-Lee said there were none but that the agency could impose them.

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“We can formulate a memo or issue a corresponding advisory to our electric cooperatives and put a penal clause to it,” Rosero-Lee added.

Given the NEA’s quasi-judicial functions, any violation of or disobedience to its issuances or memoranda could result in administrative liability, subject to due process, she explained. /mcm