Vital to the success of the project is the ability of the TWG to identify potential sources of renewable energy. To this end, WWF-Philippines, with the help of the University of the Philippines Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (UPEEEI-RDFI), held workshops from October to December of last year in order to build the knowledge and capacities of the TWG in their pursuit of renewable solutions. Members of the TWG were taught by the UPEEEI-RDFI how to identify sources of renewable energy and their potential productivity. A practicum was held at Bugsukan Falls to help participants appreciate the process of identifying possible sources of hydroelectricity.

“These workshops are a necessity… It’s really about passing on technical assistance, so that local energy planners can understand the intricacies of energy planning. We want the process to be democratized from the centralized way they would do it before. We had a similar project in Palawan a few years back, and it was a great success,” said Cheerylyn Agot, WWF-Philippines’ Project Manager for FInRE-BXU. The TWG consists of members of the city and national government, the academe, civil society organizations, and local businesses involved in power distribution and utilities – those who otherwise do not have experience with energy planning, but whose insights are vital to providing reliable and renewable electricity to the people of Butuan.

“It’s really a win-win, because we’re addressing local dynamics that national planners have been unable to underscore in previous years. Untapped local resources, complex socio-cultural dynamics… these are all very important factors that a centralized, national body might not have seen before,” added Agot.

The FInRE-BXU Project is working to integrate Renewable Energy into the city’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan. The project is looking to have at least one renewable energy project identified and feasibly studied for energy developers and financing institutions to utilize.