The 4th European Union-Philippines Energy Meeting will be held today (7 October 2016) with the theme “Electricity for a Better Life”.
This meeting provides a platform for discussions on how to further move energy goals forward, particularly in maximising renewable energy towards achieving 90% household electrification and how to improve energy efficiency.
Last year, the EU has allocated Php 3 billion grant for the Access to Sustainable Energy Programme (ASEP) which supports the Department of Energy’s electrification target through policy reforms, supporting existing electrification programmes and the deployment of renewable energy technologies and innovative energy solutions for the poor.
The ASEP programme aims to: provide clean energy solutions to 100,000 households or roughly 500,000 people; add 20 megawatts of additional renewable energy projects; and improve energy efficiency and generate savings of greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to a power plant of 50 megawatts. The ASEP programme will be launched on the occasion of today’s meeting.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said 89.6 percent of the country has been electrified, but the remaining areas, mostly in Mindanao, pose the greatest challenge because they are the farthest and so cannot be cost-efficiently connected to the grid.
“We must make sure energy is available and accessible to those who need it,” Sec. Cusi said adding that the government is eyeing 100 percent electrification to realise inclusive development with Mindanao as a key focus for electrification.
EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said with a total of nearly Php 6 billion of cooperation budget still available for energy cooperation, the EU stands ready to explore how we could put energy efficiency first in a next phase of cooperation,” Ambassador Jessen said.
(from EU Delegation to the Philippines)