P72M in energy, other projects completed Carla Gomez Inquirer Visayas Philippine Daily Inquirer
July 04, 2009
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — Fourteen renewable energy and livelihood projects costing $1.5 million, or P72.3 million, have been completed in Negros Occidental, Energy Undersecretary Roy Quiamco said on Thursday.
Quiamco told Negros Occidental Gov. Isidro Zayco that the projects were part of the Renewable Energy and Livelihood Development for the Poor (Renew) program.
He said the Department of Energy (DOE) had identified Negros Occidental as the pilot area for Renew, which involved the implementation of innovative poverty reduction projects, specifically renewable energy and livelihood development in poor off-grid rural communities.
The Renew program in Negros Occidental, which was implemented by the Winrock International with the DOE, included the installation of 14 renewable energy systems for livelihood and electrification.
Japan funds
Winrock International project director Jim Orprecio said Renew Negros was funded by a grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JPFR) that was managed by the Asian Development Bank.
The projects included micro-hydro systems that were built in Calatrava, Toboso and Cauayan towns to boost agriculture-based livelihood projects, Orprecio said.
The other projects were hybrid renewable energy systems that use biomass and solar power for fish drying that were set up in the island communities of Sipaway, San Carlos City and Sagay City, and the installation of hydraulic ram pump systems in Cauayan and Murcia towns, Kabankalan City and Himamaylan City.
Three other projects, a solar lantern-charging station in Sagay City and two hydropower systems in Murcia and Cauayan, were also completed, Orprecio said.
Quiamco, Orprecio, Kohie Noda of JFPR and Yong Ping Xai of ADB met with Zayco at the Capitol in Bacolod City to present their project accomplishments in the province.
Model
Yong said ADB considers Renew Negros as one of the most successful JPFR projects in the country and the agency would want to replicate it in other areas in the country.
Orprecio said the recipients of the electrification projects pay for their power consumption. The revenues generated would be used to install more connections to reach more people, he said.
The program’s livelihood component called for the setting up of cooperatives among communities in areas where the projects were located.
The livelihood projects include a grain mill, grain processing and trading, backyard animal production, lemon grass essential oil production, fish pond tilapia production, poultry and egg production, swine raising, high value vegetable production, expansion of rice fields, cutflower production and marketing, marine products drying and marketing, and backyard shellcraft production.
Renew Negros started the implementation of the projects in August 2004, Orprecio said.
