To ensure that the energy sector remains prepared and resilient for any disaster, the Department of Energy (DOE) recently launched the National Energy Contingency Plan (NECP) for a magnitude 7.2 earthquake scenario in the Greater Metro Manila Area.
Dubbed the NECP for “The Big One,” its main objectives are focused on the priority restoration of electric services to identified critical facilities, allocation and distribution of petroleum products to identified critical facilities, and expeditiously addressing the associated effects on domestic socio-political stability.
Through the Task Force on Energy Resiliency (TFER) spearheaded by the DOE, the NECP for “The Big One” shall be automatically activated and shall be the responsible organization of the energy sector for disaster response until the early recovery phase. The TFER shall also be the principal organization that will coordinate with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) Logistics and Response Clusters and will respond to the immediate energy restoration needs of the country.
TFER comprises various energy stakeholders and participants from the power and oil industries created through Department Circular No. DC2018-01-0001 or the Adoption of Energy Resiliency in the Planning and Programming of the Energy Sector to Mitigate Potential Impacts of Disaster.
The Philippines is one of the most natural disaster-prone countries in the world. Each disaster wreaks havoc not only on the country’s economy and the lives of the Filipino people. The energy sector and its system reliability and supply sufficiency have long been experiencing the effects of these natural disasters.
The NECP for “The Big One” is a collaboration among energy sector stakeholders wherein protocols from their respective contingency plans, business contingency plans, emergency restoration plans, and disaster response plans were harmonized.
Primarily included are the responses after the occurrence of “The Big One” until the early recovery phase, which may span one (1) month in a worst-case scenario, depending on the actual damage and available resources in the power sector and oil facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces.
During the launch of the NECP for “The Big One” last 14 December 2022, Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla expressed his gratitude to TFER and partners from the government and non-government organizations for coming up with the first-ever sectoral contingency plan, which is a commitment to work together and deliver the
expected actions from the energy sector in times of calamities.
For his part, Energy Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella and TFER Chairman, underscored the huge step of the energy sector on disaster preparedness and highlights that the contingency plan is a critical input that employs proactive and strategic planning through scienced-based decisions to effectively mitigate the possible impacts of natural disasters and efficient use of resources for rehabilitation
and recovery.
According to the Project Management Office for the Earthquake Resiliency of the Greater Metro Manila Area, represented by Assistant Secretary Ramon J. Santiago represented during the launch, the energy sector is the first to come up with a hazard-specific contingency plan through the active partnership with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF).
Article by: Department of Energy
