MinDa pushes for clean, sustainable energy sources in South

THE MINDANAO Development Authority is pushing to improve access to clean and sustainable energy sources for agriculture productivity among marginalized and underserved communities in the region.

MinDa Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro during the three-day day international virtual event organized by the Dubai-based International Renewable Energy Agency, in partnership with the Alliance for Rural Electrification.

In a recent technical session on “Decentralized Renewable Energy Solutions for Agri-food and Water Sectors” of the 5th International Off-grid Renewable Energy Conference (IOREC), MinDA Deputy Executive Director Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro presented Mindanao’s initiatives capitalizing on the southern region’s strength in its agriculture and fisheries sectors.

Montenegro also cited MinDA’s efforts to push for ramping up of electrification in the remote and off-grid areas of the island region that are also producing a sizable output of the country’s food requirements. 

Several initiatives with its development partners include the MinDA Water Supply Program using solar-power irrigation and water systems in partnership with Department of Interior and Local Government and the Development Bank of the Philippines; EU-funded Renewable Energy Technology to Increase Value-Added of Seaweeds in Tawi-Tawi Project in partnership with UNIDO; and also EU-funded Integration of Productive Uses of Renewable Energy for Inclusive and Sustainable Energization in Mindanao Project, in collaboration with the National Electrification Administration. 

Montenegro said while Mindanao sees a promising future with the agriculture and fisheries sectors as significant drivers of economic growth, it is struggling with the irony that many farm and fishing communities still lack access to electricity to improve productivity and value adding. “across the 26 million populations in Mindanao, around 1.4 million households are still without electricity, especially in off-grid, rural yet agriculturally productive areas,” he said. 

With this reality at hand, he pointed out the importance of integrating renewable energy in the agriculture value chain as strategies to achieve food security and foster countryside development. Along this line, he underscored how this could support the island region’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He also urged for the cooperation and synergy of all the stakeholders to contribute to the energy transition agenda. “This is definitely going to be a challenge and a difficult task, but as long as we hold together as one, the energy transition can be realized,” he said. 

The three-day international virtual event organized by the Dubai-based International Renewable Energy Agency, in partnership with the Alliance for Rural Electrification, aims to provide an avenue for both public and private sectors to share their country-specific success stories and best practices in the off-grid RE deployment and in narrowing energy disparity. (With a report from Malou Cablinda)