Energy Secretary Vincent S. Perez said the installation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-funded project will benefit some 200 households in the cashew farming village of New Ibajay in El Nido.
The power project is capable of generating 20 kilowatts (kw) of electricity using energy both from the sun and fuel oil to power its mini-grid.
The project is jointly implemented by the DOE, the Palawan Provincial Government, Municipal Government of El Nido, and the Western Philippine University-Affiliated Non-conventional Energy Center (WPU-ANEC).
Perez noted that the New Ibajay renewable energy-based power system project took more than two years before it was implemented.
In 2002, the DOE forwarded and instructed WPU-ANEC to complete the project proposal for endorsement to UNDP for funding. Since then, activities, including relevant trainings, have been instituted to prepare the community for the project’s operation.
The New Ibajay Non-Agricultural Multipurpose Cooperative (NINAMC) was organized to ensure effective management and operation of the installed photovoltaic-diesel hybrid power system.
"With electricity now being enjoyed by these 200 households, windows of opportunity have been opened to improve their lives", Perez said.
The DOE has been partnering with various donor agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs) and the independent power producers (IPPs) to achieve its target to energize the entire country by 2008.
These efforts have bore fruit as the country’s electrification program experienced unprecedented growth over the past four years. As of December last year, its level stood at 94.47 percent, leaving only 3,200 barangays nationwide that have yet to be energized.