The City Government of Ormoc in Leyte has issued a resolution declaring the pursuance of renewable energy (RE) projects in the locality.
The resolution cites the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, which declares the national promotion of the utilization of new, indigenous and RE sources in power generation as well as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which encourages the development and utilization of RE in order to effectively reduce or prevent harmful emissions.
“Consistent with these directives and ideals, the City of Ormoc prioritizes the utilization of clean, renewable energy, which is abundant in the province; to continuously protect and develop such renewable energy sources and, at the same time, shun operations and activities including sourcing and use of energy sources that are destructive to the environment and harmful to its citizens’ health and livelihood,” said Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez in a statement.
The local resolution stated Ormoc City shall continue to support clean and renewable energy projects and is strongly encouraging the Leyte Electric Cooperative V and contestable customers recognized by the Energy Regulatory Commission to secure their power requirement from clean and renewable energy sources.
Ormoc City is host to several RE power plants including solar, wind, hydro and geothermal projects. It is also among 165 members of the Powering Past Coal Alliance convened during the UN Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom in November last year that has committed to domestic phase-out of coal and acceleration of global transition to clean energy.
The city hosts the Energy Development Corp.’s 700 megawatts Tongonan geothermal project which is considered as the largest wet steam field in the Philippines. – Jed Macapagal
