The Department of Energy (DOE) will provide electricity powered by solar technologies to 24 remote sitios in 10 villages of the Third District of Negros Occidental.
The office of Rep. Alfredo Benitez announced this on Tuesday, in line with the DOE project under the agency’s Household Electrification Program (HEP).
The Third District covers the cities of Talisay, Silay, Victorias, and municipalities of Magalona and Murcia.
The beneficiaries under the electrification program are located in barangays Amayco, Canlandog, Minoyan, Salvacion, and Sta. Rosa in Murcia; Canlusong in E.B. Magalona; Mambulac and Guimbalaon in Silay City; Katilingban in Talisay City; and Barangay 20 in Victorias City.
The energy department determined the beneficiaries by conducting a survey for off-grid households last year, partnered with local government and barangay officials.
DOE Senior Research Specialist Lourdes Arciaga gave a briefing on HEP on Monday. While Pastor Cesar Gallarin, Executive Director of Friendship Builders Foundation, which is a DOE program partner, talked about the social preparation component and the organization of solar power associations, together with the recipient-barangays and local government units (LGUs).
In the next two weeks, the DOE-led program team assisted by the staff of Benitez will also conduct social preparation activities for program sustainability and capability-building for the associations involved.
HEP is part of the department’s Expanded Rural Electrification Program which aims to provide electricity to areas unreachable by power lines by using renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic, solar home system or micro-hydro system.
Source 1
