Published August 29, 2017, 10:00 PM By Myrna M.
Velasco
The quest is by no means over as to
where the government would be sourcing funds for the proposed conversion of
electric jeepneys (e-jeepneys), hence, Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi is
seriously contemplating on taking back the cancelled portion of the
P21.67-billion loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that had been
previously earmarked for the planned electric tricycles (e-trikes) rollout.
He noted that he has given
instruction to his people at the Department of Energy (DoE) to study that
option and find a satisfactory solution, as the state wobbles at its “financing
hunt” for the massive capital needs of the e-jeepneys’ conversion costs.
Of the total ADB loan amount, it
must be culled that it had only been the P1.73 billion fraction that is being
eyed now for the limited 3,000 e-trike deployment that the DOE had upheld.
Energy Assistant Secretary Leonido
J. Pulido III indicated that at this stage “no formal activities yet” on the
proposed re-channeling of the ADB loan to the e-jeepneys rollout program.
“We will finish the e-trike
deployment first and then proceed with how we could support our EVs such as
e-jeepneys, “ he qualified.
In the legislative branch, Senate
Committee on Energy Chairman Sherwin T. Gatchalian indicated his plan of
lodging a measure that shall institutionalize the policy and regulatory
frameworks on the country’s mass scale development pathway to EVs.
His concept though is a “market
driven rollout,” without the government subsidizing or extending sovereign
guarantees to cost components.
“We will coordinate with EV
groups – we have to know the technicalities of the law… that should tackle the
supply chain – not just the electric vehicles’ conversion, but also the
charging stations and the question of supply,” Gatchalian said.
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