By Lenie Lectura - July 5, 2019
The Department of Energy (DOE) and
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti) of Japan are looking into
the possibility of putting up a microgrid system in Mindoro.
Many communities in Mindoro remain
without access to power, while those with electricity have to make do with
unreliable services. Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the
Philippines with a total land area of 10,571 square kilometers and a population
of about 2 million people.
The DOE and Meti may review
Mindoro’s Power Development Master Plan as a continuation of the power sector
Technical Cooperation Agreement (TCA) signed in June 2018.
Under the proposal, the DOE has
requested Meti, together with Japanese firm KPMG AZSA Llc., to provide
technical assistance for the formulation of a comprehensive and integrated
Power System Development and Operational Plan for Mindoro and help build
capacity toward the total electrification of all households in the island,
especially the poor villages and communities in the peripheries of the remote
uplands and coastal areas through the introduction of the microgrid system.
A microgrid is a small-scale power
system able to provide stable power supply to off-grid areas by combining
distributed power sources, such as diesel generators, solar power, wind power
and storage batteries.
“Providing stable and reliable power
in off-grid areas remains a considerable challenge to our goal of total
electrification. Mindoro is one of those island provinces that has been plagued
with power problems for decades,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.
“With the help of Meti, we will be
able to undertake a comprehensive study of the Mindoro grid, and assess the
feasibility of introducing a microgrid system as a source of stable power. If
everything goes well, Mindoro would serve as an electrification model for the
rest of the off-grid islands in the Philippines,” he added.
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