At Fort, APEC forum tackles RE issues

LAOAG CITY, April. 13 (PIA) – – The 44th Meeting of the Expert Group on New and Renewable Energy Technologies (EGNRET 44), a sub-working group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), started this morning at the Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel here.

“As an emerging renewable energy capital in the country and even in Southeast Asia, we are proud as the host province for this meeting of foreign experts, engineers, scientists as well as local Filipino scientists who wish to see the operations of our wind farms, solar power plant and the rehabilitated hydro power plant here in Ilocos Norte,” said Governor Imee Marcos in a press statement.

Apec-member economies delegates attending came from Hongkong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, United States and the Philippines which co-chairs with Chinese Taipei the EGNRET, a sub-working group of APEC.

The EGNRET is chaired by Dr. Chung-Hsien Chen of the Ministry of Economic Affairs-Bureau of Energy of Chinese Taipei.

The expert group on renewable energy is co-chaired by Director Mario Marasigan of the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Management Bureau (DOE-REMB).

In his welcome address on Monday morning, Marasigan said Ilocos Norte has a unique renewable technology program because of a solar power installation inside a wind power facility in the northern town of Burgos.

The province is already home of at least 283-megawatt (MW) capacity wind farms located in the towns of Burgos, Bangui and Pagudpud.

Last year, two big wind farms projects went on operation such as the 150 megawatt (MW) Burgos wind farm project of the Energy Development Corporation and the 81 MW Caparispisan wind energy project of the North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp. (NLREC) in Pagudpud town while the Northwind had expanded its 33 MW farm in Bangui into 52 MW capacity.

Technical experts or division chiefs of BIG SHOW (Bio mass, Bio fuel, Geothermal, Solar, Hydro, Ocean, and Wind) sectors or Renewable Energy (RE) technologies are joining the delegates.

The Philippines hosted the APEC Leaders’ Summit last November.

The results of the Ilocos Norte meeting will be presented to the APEC officials of energy in October during the Energy Ministers’ Meeting (EMM12) to be held in Cebu.

The mission of the EGNRET is to facilitate the increase in the use of new and renewable energy technologies in the APEC region.

The energy working group will continue the implementation of new and renewable energy technology workshops and projects that help build the needed human capacity to implement renewable energy development across the Asia Pacific.

A night tour will also be offered to the delegates who would want to explore Ilocos Norte’s capital and neighboring towns.

Governor Marcos hopes that by hosting the meeting, Ilocos Norte will be included in the APEC map, thus, making the province a top venue for MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, and Exhibitions). (Freddie G. Lazaro/PIA1 Ilocos Norte)