A FOREIGN GROUP engaged in rural electrification expects 16 of its members that participated in a matchmaking forum last month to invest in the installation of minigrids in the Philippines through partnerships with electric cooperatives.
Katarina Hasbani, vice-president of the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), said members of the group are keen on deploying their technology and projects in the country.
“They have the industry expertise, technology know-how and project implementation experience. ARE members do not just bring electricity, but they also create revenue generation for local communities,” she said in a statement during the weekend.
The expected number of interested entities reflects the results of a post-event survey conducted by ARE, which co-organized the first Philippines Minigrid Business-to-Business Forum in Manila in September.
The three-day B2B forum was organized by the Department of Energy (DoE) with the support of the European Union (EU). The National Electrification Administration (NEA), which oversees the country’s 121 electric cooperatives, was among the supporting organizations.
More than 280 technology providers, project developers and investors from Asia, Europe and North America took part in the forum, which aimed to provide the foreign participants a platform to partner with electric cooperatives in bringing electricity to rural communities by building clean renewable energy minigrids.
Of the participants, about a hundred entered into at least 185 direct personal meetings on the final B2B matchmaking day, with almost 90 meetings leading to cooperation, the forum’s organizer said.
Among the forum participants were 60 representatives of the government and public sector, such as the NEA, National Power Corp. and the Energy Regulatory Commission, 50 from electric cooperatives in the Philippines and 25 investors, it added.
“The B2B forum is timely as the government of Philippines is targeting 100% electrification by 2020 using the least-costly and reliable energy technologies for the many unserved and underserved island grids in the country,” said DoE Undersecretary Jesus Cristino P. Posadas during the event. — Victor V. Saulon
