Dinagat Islands signs power supply agreement for renewable energy
By Renelle L. Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — Dinagat Islands will be lessening its dependence on fossil fuel for electricity because the province will be making energy from wind and solar.
This is the statement of Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo P. Demerey Jr., as he signed on behalf of the provincial government the Power Supply Agreement (PSA) with Solind Technology Corporation through its Chief Executive Officer Martine Navales at the Provincial Guest Center, Barangay Cuarinta in San Jose, Dinagat Islands on October 25.
This transformational initiative of the provincial government of Dinagat Islands stands as a fulfillment of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, when he reiterated his administration’s commitment to strengthening and increasing renewable energy in the Philippines’ energy mix, targeting an additional 35 percent utilization by 2030.
Gov. Demerey said, “Power is the key economic driver in innovation and industrialization of fisheries, agroforestry, mining and ecotourism (i2FAME, the primary sectors that will bring development and sustainable growth in Dinagat Islands as aligned with the Caraga Regional Development Plan 2023-2028.”
“The provincial government’s venture for sustainable and renewable energy will lessen our dependence on costly fossil fuel like petroleum for electricity,” the governor added. “This energy system will sufficiently supply electricity in the People’s Hall, hospitals and other key government offices in the province.”
Accordingly, this will ensure reliable electricity to essential government infrastructure to sustain their operation and services, especially during power interruption from the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR), a government-owned and controlled corporation that is mandated to provide electricity to all rural areas in the country.
Meanwhile, the Solind Technology Corporation has invested an estimated $85 million dollars in the province for renewable energy by constructing a 1.5 megawatts facility on solar and wind energy that has five-megawatt hour batteries.
Highlighting the novelty is the hybrid power tree that will be built outside the premises of the IJN Yamashiro-inspired People’s Hall that will provide electricity to the iconic edifice.
This is a wind and sunlight energy harnessing system designed to stand and look like a natural tree that can be installed in residential houses, amusement parks, farms, industrial parks, commercial establishments, military installations, and even schools and universities as their alternative source of power.
With wind and sunlight as natural and abundant elements in the island province, the signing of the Power Supply Agreement between the provincial government of Dinagat Islands and Solind Technology Corporation serves as another milestone for the province to sustain its economic growth as Caraga’s fastest and the Philippines’ number four according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s report on 2024 Provincial Product Accounts. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands with a report from PIO Dinagat Islands)
