DOE, USAID unveil energy resiliency scorecard for climate preparedness

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

The Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the Task Force on Energy Resiliency (TFER) and the United States Agency for International Development – Energy Secure Philippines (USAID-ESP), has launched the Energy Resiliency Scorecard (ERS).

Th ERS initiative is designed to fortify energy systems and enhance climate resilience across the sector by offering a standardized benchmark for assessing energy resilience.

The ERS serves as a self-assessment tool, evaluating energy facilities’ readiness to prepare for, withstand, and recover from natural or human-induced disruptions.

It examines energy resilience across seven critical areas: infrastructure strengthening, systems, disaster risk financing and insurance, stockpiling, response, rehabilitation, and cyber resilience.

Additionally, it provides benchmarking against both local and international resilience standards, taking cues from models like the DOE’s Resiliency Compliance Plan (RCP), which stresses preparedness before, during, and after disruptive events.

“With the ERS, energy facilities can determine their current resilience levels and identify areas for improvement by applying scores to standardized criteria and indices,” said Energy Undersecretary Wimpy Fuentebella.

“This tool helps facilities identify strengths, pinpoint gaps, and prioritize improvements to achieve greater energy resilience.”

The ERS was initially tested in a pilot involving nine distribution utilities and generation and transmission facilities in Leyte.

The results showed varied resilience levels, with some participants achieving an “Advanced” rating while others were at “Intermediate” levels.

The pilot was later expanded to include Regions 1, 2, 3, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.

The finalized scorecards for electric cooperatives will be launched in September, with those for power generation and transmission facilities planned for the following year.

“The scorecard plays a crucial role in conducting vulnerability risk assessments and preparing emergency restoration plans and provides clear benchmarks and metrics for measuring resilience, supporting informed decision-making and effective resource allocation,” said Isabela I Electric Cooperative, a participant in the pilot testing.

The significance of resiliency planning was underscored by the 2017 Marawi siege, leading to the issuance of Department Circular No. 2018-01-0001. This circular established the TFER and mandated energy industry players to submit an RCP for post-disaster evaluation.

The ERS’s expansion to include cybersecurity and enhancements in RCP assessments and contingency planning highlights a commitment to science-based approaches for policy formulation and advancements in energy resiliency.

Aligning with international frameworks such as the Integrated Resource and Resilience Planning Framework and the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient from the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the ERS is a critical tool for local government units in evaluating resiliency.