The first Renewable Energy (RE) Code ever concretized by a local government unit (LGU) has been launched in Dumaguete City in Negros, Oriental; which is a host community of a geothermal facility of Energy Development Corporation (EDC) of the Lopez group.

In a statement to the media, the provincial government of Negros Oriental said the launch marked a significant milestone in its commitment to protecting its status as a “green province with the launch of its very own Clean, Renewable Energy (RE) ordinance, which has been touted as “one of its kind” ever undertaken by a local government unit in the country.

The institutionalization of the RE Code was spearheaded by Governor Roel Degamo and participated in multi-sectoral stakeholders, including EDC, Negros Oriental I Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NORECO I), Silliman University; and the Department of Energy.

The ordinance secured the unanimous approval of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan; and that was done “in concurrence with timely climate action considering the devastating impact of global warming.”

By far, this is the first LGU-initiated RE Code that focuses on “incentivizing incoming RE investors through carbon credits, as it prioritizes the use of clean sources of power and bans the construction of coal-fired power plants in the province.”

Degamo noted “the renewable energy ordinance is a landmark piece of local legislation that will surely boost the morale of our environmental warriors and champions in the field, and most of all, this will give us more drive to sustain our efforts for a clean and sustainable world.”

The provincial government likewise pledged to form an RE council that will “pursue policy-making actively” that is anchored on goals of accelerating RE development programs “for a greener, energy self-sufficient and sustainable province.”

Richard B. Tantoco, president of EDC which is the owner and operator of the Southern Negros Geothermal Project sited in Valencia, Negros Oriental, primarily sounded off his company’s “commitment to preserving your green province.”

According to Edward Du, former president of the internationally-recognized Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NOCCI), “this historic ordinance is very timely and relevant because, in spite of all the political differences, all the members of the Sanggunian crossed party lines and unanimously approved this ordinance.”

To date, Du indicated that Filipino-owned Almana Power Corporation (APC), which is into RE project developments, has been first in the queue to apply and avail of the tax incentives under the RE ordinance of the province.

In particular, the RE Code is targeting “all eligible institutions and companies to avail of the government’s Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) that allows power consumers with monthly consumption of at least 100 kilowatts to get electricity from a renewable energy source directly from licensed GEOP providers.”