NPC signs agreeement to use space agency’s technology for electrification 

The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) and the National Power Corp. (NPC) said Thursday they signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to utilize PhilSA’s Space Science and Technology Applications (SSTA) for electrification solutions, according to a report by Manila Standard.

The agreement encompasses activities and projects such as pre-construction and site monitoring of off-grid power facilities, post-disaster recovery assessment and dams and watershed management.

NPC president and chief executive Fernando Martin Roxas expressed hope the partnership would lead to more efficient and effective performance by both agencies in achieving their respective mandates.

“This is a partnership between two highly complementing entities,” Roxas said.

“PhilSA is a high-tech agency because it is in the boundaries of technology, while NPC is a high-touch agency, a mission-driven organization devoted to electrification of geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” he said.

The agreement was signed by Roxas, PhilSA deputy director-general Gay Jane Perez of and PhilSA’s Space Information Infrastructure Bureau director Ariel Blanco.

PhilSA and the National Electrification Administration (NEA), along with the University of the Philippines (UP), signed an agreement last year to map out unserved and underserved rural electrification areas in the country.

PhilSA and UP will assist in data gathering and processing, including AI-based identification, night light analysis and satellite acquisition, to help the NEA and electric cooperatives (ECs) identify households or areas without electricity access.

The initiative supports the government’s goal of achieving 100-percent household electrification by 2028.