LGU’s urged to initiate own Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan

KALIBO, Aklan- Local government units all over the country were being urged to have their respective Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan (LEEGP) as one of the undertakings of the Philippines in both mitigating and adapting initiatives to become climate resilient.

Nong Rangasa, executive director and resident trainer for LCCAP formulation at the Local Climate Change Adaptation for Development (LCCAD). The LCCAP stands for the Local Climate Change Action Plan.

To support the program, the Department of Interior and Local Government released an advisory on January 31, 2023.

“We had already started our nationwide rollout of the Philippines’ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Training Workshop Series for Local Governments . It was launched in the CALABARZON Region last February 22–24, 2023, at the Forest Crest Nature Hotel & Resort in Nasugbu, Batangas,” he said.

“The training at the same venue for different LGUs is set to end until June of this year.

The mentoring and coaching training workshop is spearheaded by the Office of the 2nd District of Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda and supported by the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change Mitigation coordinating agencies: the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) .

Also, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Office of the President Climate Change Commission (OP-CCC), the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI), the United Nations Association of the Philippines (UNAP), the Leagues of the Provinces, Cities, and Municipalities, and the Albay Embassy House Committee on Ways and Means.

“Rep. Joey Salceda has mentioned that, in line with the PBBM Administration’s goal of transitioning towards a sustainable and clean energy future, the DOE has increased the percentage of the utilization of renewable energy for on-grid areas from 1% to 2.52,” Rangasa added.

The increase of 2.52% shall take effect in 2023 based on Department Circular No. 2022-09-0030, signed by then Secretary Lotilla on September 2022, which prescribes the adjusted annual percentage increment for all participants in the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) for on-grid areas.

Such an increase in the utilization of renewable energy in the power generation mix would encourage more investors and end-users to develop and utilize domestic energy sources.

According to information from LCCAD, as of June 2022, a total of 998 renewable energy contracts with an aggregate installed capacity of 5,460.59 MW and a potential capacity of 61,613.81 MW had been awarded by the DOE. This generated around 270.8 billion pesos investments for the country.

Achieve the aspirational target of at least 35.0 RE percent share of the total power generation mix by 2030 and 50.0 percent share by 2040 under the National Renewable Energy Plan (NREP) 2020-2040. The NREP 2020-2040 serves as a unified and comprehensive program to catalyze RE development and utilization in the country. It further provides the RE investment themes, which include RE Power Generation, Off-grid Renewable Energy, Energy Storage Systems, and Smart Grids and Digitalization.

In Kalibo, Cyna Marie Franco of the Local Government Operations Office said that the LGU is now preparing for its own Local Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plan (LEECP) based on the memorandum of the DILG.

“The LEEDP would be helpful to the LGU by means of conserving its energy. We hope though that we could be invited to the said training,” she said.

It was gathered that the LGU is spending around P1 million monthly for streetlights and the day-to-day operations of both the barangays and the LGU. Through the LEEDP, the LGU hopes to reduce the said cost.

Photo caption: Batch 3 of the 1st Philippines’ Energy Efficiency and Conservation Training-Workshop Series for Local Governments coming from Region III Aurora, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Zambales, Bulacan, and Pampanga, will be at Forest Crest Nature Hotel & Resort on March 18. (courtesy of Albay Eep Joey Salceda)