State-run National Electrification Administration (NEA) is targeting a 94-percent nationwide electrification rate by the end of 2026, despite continuing challenges related to budget, manpower and adverse weather.
The goal is part of the government’s broader target to achieve 100-percent nationwide electrification by 2028.
NEA administrator Antonio Mariano Almeda said the agency reached 89-percent electrification last year and expects to hit 91.7 percent by the end of 2025.
“NEA’s targeting 94 percent by end of 2026. Last year, we’re at 89 percent. By end 2025, we’ll be achieving 91.7 percent and with the increase in subsidy, granted to us by Congress, we’re expecting/targeting 94 percent electrification rate,” said Almeda.
Almeda said the agency is prioritizing electrification efforts in Mindanao, particularly the geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Other focus areas include regions in the north like the Cordilleras and Region 2, as well as parts of the Visayas, especially the Negros region.
The administrator said reaching the total electrification goal is challenged by severe weather and the need for additional manpower. He is currently working with the Commission on Audit to address the lack of personnel.
“I am working on some challenges on additional warm bodies for engineers of NEA for a timely implementation, because with the increase in the budget requires increase in engineers to validate, inspect, liquidate, and issue certificates of final inspection,” he said.
The Department of Energy (DOE) earlier estimated the government needs about P70 billion to achieve its total electrification goal, which involves connecting about 3.08 million households by 2028.
To bridge the remaining gap, the DOE and NEA have developed a roadmap focusing on three strategies: microgrids, solarized homes and expanding electric cooperatives.
