Forging connections for a Just Transition
WWF-Philippines FINRE Team, the technical working group, and the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute - Research and Development Foundation, Inc. finalizes the draft of the Butuan City Energy Plan.
Throughout the year, WWF-Philippines’ Financing and Integrating Renewable Energy (FINRE) team participated in a series of events and consultations to help integrate a just transition to renewable energy in the priority agenda of local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao through their comprehensive development plans.
These events involved various partners who delved into discussions on the steps in creating energy development plans and the first National Adaptation Plan, which seeks to identify adaptation needs informed by the latest climate science.
During the events -- which included consultations, forums, technical working group meetings, and policy reviews from March to September -- WWF-Philippines emphasized the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach by speaking to not just government leaders, but also members of the public and commercial businesses so they can learn how to participate and shift to renewable power sources, and how this will benefit them in the long term.
The Department of Energy holds public consultations in Cebu.
Among the results of the discussions and data-driven planning was the final draft of the Butuan City Energy Plan, which the technical working group presented to Butuan City Mayor Ronnie Vicente Lagnada on September 26. The presentation of the plan came at an opportune time, as Lagnada mentioned that they recently approved their Comprehensive Land Use Plan, which decides how an LGU will make use of its land in consideration of its economic and environmental objectives, among others. He noted that the energy plan complements the land use plan. The Technical Working Group (TWG) formed under the FInRE-Butuan project was technically assisted and capacitated by the UP Electrical and Electronics Engineering Institute - Research and Development Foundation, Inc. to explore renewable energy options for the city.
WWF-Philippines FINRE team holds a site visit with the Mindanao Development Authority in Davao De Oro.
The envisioned development of Butuan to be a smart-eco city and its role as the regional hub in the Caraga Region necessitates not only cheaper power rates to attract business locators but, more importantly, energy that is sourced from renewables, bringing about grid independence and resilient infrastructure.
About WWF:
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.
WWF-Philippines has been successfully implementing various conservation projects to help protect some of the most biologically-significant ecosystems in Asia since its establishment as the 26th national organization of the WWF network in 1997.
