Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard bearer Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is convinced that going green and harnessing renewable energy sources will be effective ways to solve the problem of perennially high power cost in the country.
Marcos said that aside from bringing down electricity rates, using renewable energy could greatly help in saving the country’s environment and natural resources, and consequently address the problem of climate change and global warming.
He said it is time to re-examine the various alternative energy sources which he believes will be of great help to Filipinos if utilized.
“What we will use is natural sources of energy. We will no longer use coal. We will no longer use fossil fuel. We need to have a replacement and the renewables are available,” Marcos said.
Marcos said high electricity costs have discouraged businessmen from investing in the country.
“This has been a constant sticking point with all of our investors, not only foreign investors even the local investors. When you ask the entrepreneurs who want to build a plant, want to build manufacturing, that’s what they’re complaining about. They say their power is too high,” he said.
He said what is needed is a committed and dedicated leadership that has the political will to move from the traditional coal and fossil fuel use to renewable forms of energy.
Marcos cited as example the successful Wind Farm in Ilocos, which supplies a significant volume of the energy requirements of the province.
There is also a 20-megawatt solar power farm in Bgy. Pagudulan, Currimao town benefiting an estimated 26,000 families.
Marcos said the offer of a South Korean firm for the rehabilitation of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) should also be looked into.
“Let’s look at it again. We have BNPP. There are so-called sister plants because Westinghouse made them here in the Philippines. They did something in Korea that was exactly the same. The design is almost the same. It’s all custom made, but the basic technologies that will be used in BNPP that they made in Korea are very good,” he said.