Mindanao residents get wider access to sustainable power

By Alena Mae S. Flores – October 25, 2023, 7:20 pm
from manilastandard.net

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) said Wednesday Mindanao residents received additional access to sustainable electrification from electric cooperatives (ECs) involved in the Integration of Productive Uses of Renewable Energy (I-PURE) program.

I-PURE is a project funded by the European Union (EU) through its Access to Sustainable Energy Program (ASEP), while NEA serves as one of its key implementing partners, together with the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) and supported by the Department of Energy (DOE).

The EU-ASEP earmarked 4,499,999.36 euros (P270.6 million) to carry out the program aimed at improving the economic and social conditions of families in the most marginalized and disadvantaged communities of Mindanao through alternative and sustainable sources of energy.

NEA said the three-year project began in the second half of 2021 with primary components involving productive energy use through livelihood opportunities, sustainable energization of households; and capacity building toward the effective management of renewable energy sources.

NEA’s Total Electrification and Renewable Energy Development Department (TEREDD) reported that the I-PURE Projects of ECs based in North and South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Tawi-Tawi are in the final stages of completion.

Nine projects listed under “Component 1” covered the agriculture and fishing industries in the said provinces, which were accomplished within the period of March 2, 2023 to Sept. 25. 2023.

Component 1 projects include two solar-powered corn processing facilities in Arakan and Kidapawan municipalities, as well as a solar-powered rice miller in Tulunan, North Cotabato, all under the service area of Cotabato Electric Cooperative, Inc. (COTELCO).

There are also solar-powered corn and coffee processing facilities in the municipalities of Bagumbayan and Kalamansig, respectively, plus two separate solar-powered water systems in Sen. Ninoy Aquino and Lebak, Sultan Kudarat, which are within the area of the Sultan Kudarat Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SUKELCO).

Another solar-powered water system was also installed in Picong, Lanao del Norte by MinDA, with the local government unit and community-based organizations, and a solar-assisted seaweeds dryer in Sitangkai and Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi, courtesy of the Mindanao State University (MSU) Taw-iTawi.

Component 2 energized 1,500 homes via photovoltaic mainstreaming (PVM) systems implemented through COTELCO; 1,577 households were also electrified through South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SOCOTECO II).

These began in December 2021 and were finalized on Sept. 30, 2022.

Meanwhile, around 2,184 homes in East Sibutu and Sitangkai, Tawi-Tawi—under the service area of Tawi-Tawi Electric Cooperative Inc. (TAWELCO)—stand to benefit in the ongoing Barangay Line Enhancement and Household Electrification project.

This is tied to the Renewable Energy Technology for Seaweeds (RETS) value-added project between the EU, MinDA, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and local stakeholders in the said island communities.

Component 3 of the I-PURE initiative deals with project management, education and communication-related activities as well as capacity building programs for people in the beneficiary communities.

The NEA, ECs and other organizations involved in the implementation of the I-PURE projects are expected to gather in a closing ceremony to be hosted by SUKELCO in Sultan Kudarat next month to wrap up all deliverables in the program.