The World Bank Group logo is seen on the building of the Washington-based global development lender in Washington on January 17, 2019. (FILE photo by Eric BARADAT / Agence France-Presse)
TACLOBAN CITY — The provincial government of Northern Samar has strengthened its bid to accommodate at least five renewable energy projects to generate power, create jobs for locals, and revenue for the local government.
The initiative, in cooperation with the World Bank (WB), aims to streamline the process for renewable energy investors while ensuring that local communities benefit from these projects.
According to Jhon Allen Berbon, head of the Provincial Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office, the project would be carried out in three phases.
First, a policy review has to be done to identify the best practices in promoting renewable energy investments and aligning national and local policies.
It will be followed by capacity-building workshops, which will involve training local officials to improve their skills in investment promotion, and lastly, to teach provincial leaders how to simplify the processes of releasing permits as well as engage local communities in renewable energy projects.
“Based on the records from the Board of Investments and the Department of Energy (DOE), Northern Samar is one of the recommended sites for renewable energy projects, particularly wind farms,” said Berbon.
The World Bank, he said, would fully fund the project with no cost to the provincial government.
Berbon, however, did not disclose the amount allocated for the initiative.
At present, Northern Samar has at least six renewable energy projects in the pipeline, including wind, solar, and tidal energy ventures with potential investments valued at more than P200 billion.
Gov. Edwin Ongchuan led the province’s participation in the planning and expressed optimism about the initiative, saying it would position Northern Samar as a prime destination for sustainable investments.
“This partnership shows our commitment to attracting sustainable investments and empowering local communities through renewable energy projects,” he said.
Key provincial officials, including the heads of disaster management, agriculture, legal, and economic offices, joined the online planning sessions held last Jan. 13.
Ongchuan emphasized that improving energy infrastructure through this project would create more livelihood opportunities for their residents and promote equitable economic growth.
Aside from Northern Samar, the World Bank is considering similar partnerships with Negros Occidental and Ilocos Norte to promote renewable energy across the country.
Northern Samar is set to host six green energy ventures.
These include the Lihangin onshore wind farm, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners offshore wind farm, EBTech hydroelectric power plant, Ranyag Energy solar farm, Energies PH’s ocean power plant, and Envision Energy onshore wind farm.
Lihangin’s project will begin operations in the second quarter of 2025, while Copenhagen’s offshore wind farm is preparing its LiDAR (light detection and ranging) equipment for surveying purposes.
The remaining projects are in the pre-development stage.