DOE, AMORE set electrification of more Mindanao barangays
09 January 2006

More remote villages in Mindanao, mostly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), will soon enjoy electric service for lighting, following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Dept. of Energy and international non-profit organization Winrock International for a Php 21 million grant under the Alliance for Mindanao Off-grid Renewable Energy (AMORE) Program.

Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla recently signed the MOA with AMORE Acting Chief of Party Chris Kopp and witnesses DOE Undersecretary Melinda Ocampo and Daniel Moore, Chief of USAID/Philippines' Office of Energy and Environment (OEE). Also present during the signing ceremony were AMORE Deputy Chief of Party Jim Orprecio and USAID/Phils. OEE’s Senior Technical Adviser Rosario Calderon and Cognizant Technical Officer Allan Mesina.

Under the MOA, DOE shall provide funding support in the amount of Twenty One Million Pesos (PhP21,000,000.00) from its Barangay Electrification Program funds for the electrification of at least 21 DOE-selected unelectrified, off-grid barangays in Mindanao, as part of the DOE's Expanded Rural Electrification Program until Sept. 30, 2009.The funds will be released to the AMORE Program, a partnership of the DOE and the ARMM with the U.S. Agency for International Development, Mirant Philippines Foundation, and Winrock International, which is electrifying remote villages in the ARMM that cannot be connected to the power grid with alternative renewable energy systems such as solar and microhydro, and capacitating the communities to operate and maintain the systems to maximize prospects for their sustainability.

DOE and Winrock, through AMORE, shall jointly develop a mode of implementing sustainable electrification in these barangays using renewable energy and with private-sector participation. AMORE shall explore the viability of supporting the DOE policy of increased focus on sustainable commercial approaches to renewable-energy-based electrification such as through emulation of the DOE's Rural Power Project subsidy scheme, combination of DOE funding of social infrastructure with private-sector supply of household energy systems, or implementation of other innovative schemes in Mindanao.

The DOE, pursuant to its legal mandate, is implementing the Expanded Rural Electrification Program, which aims to accelerate electrification of all barangays in the country through enhanced public-private partnership, to promote cost-effective uses of new and renewable energy for the provision of electricity in remote and unviable areas, and to integrate all efforts and initiatives to achieve 100% barangay electrification in the country by 2008 and 90% household electrification by 2017.

From July 2002 to date, the AMORE Program has electrified 227 off-grid, conflict-affected communities in Mindanao, predominantly in the ARMM, both with photovoltaic and microhydro power systems, and organized and trained 227 community associations to operate and maintain the installed RE systems. These associations have raised approximately PhP10.9 million in Operations and Maintenance funds to date.