17/08/2026
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ข๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฅ ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐.๐๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐
As a proactive bid to protect off-grid areas against fuel shocks, the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) has outlined strategic inputs of the Small Power Utilities Group (SPUG) to optimize its fuel buffer stock by expanding storage infrastructure across its power plants.
โIn some remote areas, hauling alone can add P20 per liter or more. . . And when there are typhoons, rough seas or logistical disruption, sometimes the question is not how expensive diesel is. Our own engineers and skilled workers are now fabricating and installing fuel storage tanks where we can aggressively increase our fuel storage capacity,โ he remarked during the Department of Energyโs (DOE) post-SONA Action Plan press conference on 11 August 2026.
Citing hauling cost and logistical constraints as a โless visibleโ dimension to supply disruption compared to price volatility itself, NAPOCOR President and CEO (PCEO) Jericho Jonas Nograles disclosed that by prioritizing proximity of storage to the power plants, the initiative is projected to achieve an overall 6.16 million liters of additional Fuel Oil Storage Tank (FOST) capacity by 2029. The said expansion is anticipated to extend SPUGโs inventory runtime by up to 11 days based on its current average daily consumption of 540,629 liters.
Of the 39 priority power plants identified by SPUG, 25 viable power plants are anticipated to have an additional 1.4 million liters of capacity by 2029 through a targeted FOST fabrication and installation. Furthermore, SPUG-Major Repair and Maintenance Department (MRMD) has already initiated in-house fabrication and installation in 10 power plants that are set to deliver additional 140 kiloliters of capacity upon completion in 2028. Meanwhile, SPUG also recently added an approximate of 4.6 million liters of storage capacity by reconditioning decommissioned tanks and converting these into strategic regional fuel hubs.
โSo, the concept is simple: store more fuel closer to where it will be used, to make fewer vulnerable deliveries and give our islands more days of energy security. . . When we do that, we will significantly decrease the hauling costs, and when we decrease the hauling costs, we decrease the pass-on to consumers,โ PCEO Nograles concluded. #
