THE Department of Energy (DoE) will conduct a second competitive selection process (CSP) for companies looking to offer power services for communities in far-flung areas.

In a statement, the DoE said the CSP would be for the electrification of 41 lots, initially composed of 75 identified unserved and underserved areas that cannot receive electricity through normal means or the main grid.

The second round of the CSP for microgrid services will follow a schedule that will allow interested firms to survey the areas and prepare their proposals.

The call for interested bidders for the CSP will be held in the first week of August and the submissions of expressions of interest and pre-qualification have been scheduled in the fourth week of the month.

The submission and opening of the technical and financial bid proposals will be conducted in the fourth week of September 2024 and the awarding of the winners will be done in the first week of December 2024.

In the first CSP round launched in November last year , 98 identified areas that were clustered into the 49 were offered to interested firms.

Eight lots in the provinces of Cebu, Quezon, and Palawan were subsequently awarded in April this year to the Maharlika consortium.

The consortium is composed of Maharlika Clean Power Holdings Corp., Singapore-based CleanGrid Partners Pre Ltd., and WEnergy Global Pte Ltd.

The group will provide 24/7 electricity services to the areas covered by the lots through a hybrid microgrid system composed of solar photovoltaic systems, energy storage systems, and a diesel generator set.

The DoE said in April that it was aiming to hold the second round of the CSP within the year for new areas and those that received no proposals during the first round.