DOE, USAID partner to develop Energy Resiliency Scorecard for climate resilience in the energy sector

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 introduced the Energy Resiliency Scorecard (ERS). This initiative aims to strengthen energy systems and climate resilience across the sector by providing a standardized benchmark for measuring energy resilience.

A self-assessment tool designed to evaluate energy facilities' readiness to prepare for, withstand, and recover from natural or human-induced disruptions, ERS assesses energy resilience across seven critical pillars: infrastructure strengthening, systems, disaster risk financing and insurance, stockpiling, response, rehabilitation, and cyber resilience. Additionally, its offers benchmarking against both local and international resilience standards, drawing inspiration from models such as the DOE’s Resiliency Compliance Plan (RCP), which emphasizes 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 implementation of the ERS began with a pilot test involving nine distribution utilities and generation and transmission facilities in Leyte. Results showed varying levels of resilience, 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 next 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,” stated Isabela I Electric Cooperative, one of the participants in the pilot testing.

The importance of resiliency planning was highlighted by the 2017 Marawi siege. This led to the issuance of Department Circular No. 2018-01-0001, establishing the TFER and requiring energy industry players to submit an RCP for post-disaster evaluation. The ERP's expansion to include cybersecurity and the enhancements in RCP assessments and contingency planning underscore a commitment to science-based approaches for policy formulation and energy resiliency advancements.

The ERS aligns 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, which is used by local government units to evaluate resiliency. ###

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