The Department of Energy (DOE) urges microgrid system providers (MGSP) to meet the September deadline for participation in the second round of the competitive selection process (CSP) in the remaining unserved and underserved areas of the country.
Microgrids relate to the limited network of electricity users with a local source of supply not connected to the national grid.
The DOE said 41 lots composed of 75 identified unserved and underserved areas of the country are at stake.
Bids are accepted and pre-qualified beginning August and the notice of award sent out by the first week of December this year.
The DOE said the 75 identified areas cover 12,212 households that formed part of 98 areas clustered into 49 lots offered at the inaugural MGSP-CSP round in November 2023.
The agency said these are viable MGSP areas given the high demand of households in clusters rather than widely dispersed.
The DOE said bidders are allowed to survey the offered areas preparatory to the submission of proposals.
The Microgrid Systems Act of 2022 mandates the competitive bidding of off-grid areas and provides a 90-day timeline to complete the entire process of pre-qualification, submission and award of contract by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
The 2023 to 2032 National Total Electrification Roadmap has identified 407 microgrid areas of which 285 are classified as unserved comprising 20,103 households while another 122 are underserved with 20,207 households.
At the inaugural MGSP-CSP, eight lots in Cebu, Quezon and Palawan were awarded to the Maharlika Consortium composed of the Maharlika Clean Power Holdings Corp., Singapore-based CleanGrid Partners Pte Ltd. and WEnergy Global Pte Ltd.
The consortium commits 24 by 7 electricity services through a hybrid solar photovoltaic, energy storage system and diesel generator sets.
