RE advocates seek solutions to Mindanao’s fossil fuel dependence

COTABATO CITY, BARMM, Philippines – Renewable energy advocates gathered in General Santos City starting on Thursday for the two-day 4th Mindanao Clean Energy Forum (MCEF) to address pressing issues linked to the region’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The annual gathering is organized by the multistakeholder group Mindanao Renewable Energy Acceleration and Coordination Hub (MINREACH) and aims to support the push for parity between fossil fuels and renewable energy in Mindanao’s energy mix by 2030.

READ: Rehab of Mindanao hydros seen to boost power supply

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This year, MCEF is convened by the Peace and Equity Foundation, Mindanao Development Authority, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, Pinoy Aksyon for Governance and the Environment, the local government of General Santos City, General Santos City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., and the Regional Development Council 12.

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READ: Advocates push to hasten RE transition in Mindanao

The gathering comes as electricity consumers in the region experience rising power rates traced to spikes in oil pricesdue to the ongoing armed conflict in the Persian Gulf.

Mindanao became heavily dependent on fossil fuels coal and diesel starting in 2016, as the government lagged in rehabilitating its primary energy source, the aging Agus-Pulangi hydroelectric complex.

Advances in renewable energy, such as solar power, have offered viable solutions to Mindanao’s energy problems.

The rising cost of fossil fuels have provided a backdrop of urgency for the shift to renewables. /cb