THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will establish a procedure for the removal and relocation of power distribution facilities to be affected by DPWH projects.
According to a joint circular issued by the Department of Energy and DPWH dated Jan. 31, the joint guidelines will cover distribution facilities that are “likely or at risk of becoming an obstruction to future DPWH projects within the national road.”
The guidelines will include an agreed formula for compensating electric cooperatives (ECs), as well as procedures for payment, which may be made by the NEA to the ECs in advance, for reimbursement by the DPWH later.
The rules will call for joint monitoring of the relocation process in line with the memorandum of understanding signed by DPWH’s implementing office and the ECs.
The NEA will also “assist the ECs in seeking regulatory support for the recovery of costs of removal and relocation of affected distribution facilities which may not be covered by the compensation provided under the DPWH-NEA joint guidelines.”
In October 2023, the NEA reported that 53,017 electric poles need to be relocated for impending projects at an estimated cost of P4.3 billion. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
