Published September 5, 2017, 10:00
PM By Mark
L. Garcia
Bacolod City — The Department of
Energy (DOE) extends the timeframe of implementing the National Renewable
Energy (RE) Program to get at least 35 percent of the total power from
renewable energy source from 2030 to 2040.
This was announced by National
Renewable Energy Board Chair Jose Layug Jr. during the Green Energy Option
Program Consultation at the L’Fisher Hotel, Monday.
However, he said Negros is already
capable to source out 100 percent of its power needs from RE in 2030.
The extension of the program will
show the public the commitment of the government to pursue cleaner energy,
Layug said.
“We fully laud the initiative of
Negros to be 100 percent dependent on renewable energy in 2030 and the province
is really capable of doing it,” he said.
Layug said the possibility of the
province to go renewable could be attributed to several RE plants built around
Negros Island and more will come if the Cebu-Negros-Panay transmission line
will be upgraded.
He said power congestion still
occurs in Negros as the transmission lines still are not capable of carrying
loads coming from RE plants here, adding that the National Grid Corporation
will hopefully finish upgrading it by 2021 to accommodate more.
Layug was in the city to lead the
public consultation on Green Energy Option Program of DOE which discussed its
benefits to the end-user or electric consumers.
“We are encouraging more RE plants
that utilize indigenous sources so that consumers will have a choice of where
their electricity will come from,” he said.
He also welcomed the idea of
electric cooperatives in Negros Occidental who will build their own RE
generation plants. He explained that is allowed under Republic Act 9136 or
Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.
“With the cost of RE technology
going down, cheaper electricity prices are expected plus the competition in the
generation industry will fully benefit the consumers,” Layug said.
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