Bacolod City – The call of Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez and Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson to tap renewable energy resources to bring down power rates in Negros Occidental, is being implemented by MORE Power in Iloilo City, a sister company of Primelectric Holdings Incorporated, which entered into Joint Venture Agreement with Central Negros Electric Cooperative.
MORE Power signed on August 3 a tripartite agreement with the Energy Regulatory Commission and the city government of Iloilo to promote renewable energy resources that will make electricity more affordable for consumers in Iloilo.
The agreement allows MORE Power to establish a one-stop shop to offer renewable energy technologies such as Net Metering and Distributed Energy Resources (DER), which provide consumers with more choices in lowering energy consumption.
In a statement, MORE Power President and CEO Roel Castro said the agreement with ERC and Iloilo City government supports the national government’s thrust to contribute to the global commitments to lower greenhouse gas emissions by popularizing the use of renewable energy resources.
“One of the obligations under the agreement is to have a one-stop shop where applicants and interested parties can come. Our collaboration with the city government has been active for the past three years, and we warmly welcome the involvement of ERC. Being the first in the Visayas to enter into this agreement showcases our strong support for the government,” Castro said
The ERC, according to MORE Power, will provide the technical and regulatory expertise to streamline the documentary submission, installation, payment and permitting processes of the Net-Metering and DER.
The ERC will also support an information drive to increase awareness on renewable energy among the electricity consumers in Iloilo.
ERC chairperson and CEO Monalisa Dimalanta said Iloilo is the second pilot Local Government Unit with the ERC for Net-Metering and greater renewable energy program.
“We hope that other LGUs are similarly inspired to partner with national agencies to bring solutions closer to our people,” Dimalanta added.
As of June 2023, the ERC has issued Certificates of compliance to 72 qualified end-used NET Metering program in Iloilo with a total capacity of 985.37 kilowatt-peak.
“With this partnership, we aim to promote green practices, aligning with the national government’s targets. In Iloilo, our efforts include solar panels at the national high school, city hall, dialysis centers, and eye care facilities,” Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said.
He added that the partnership aims to facilitate collaboration opportunities to encourage the use of renewable energy in the locality, advance RE development and deployment, and share best practices, knowledge and information on the programs and policies that can help the consumers of Iloilo pursue RE resources.
Treñas further said Net Metering and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) can also benefit the local economy by helping households and small businesses lower energy consumption.
One of the requirements of Benitez to support the JVA between CENECO and Primelectric was to tap renewable energy sources, which is also shared by Gov. Lacson. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)
