MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) will use part of its P4.05 billion budget to finance the department’s continuing activities including the household and sitio electrification program, Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla said.
Petilla earlier said the Aquino administration is aiming to cover 33,000 sitios under the rural electrification program by 2015.
Aside from household and sitio electrification, the DOE will allocate portion of the budget for “biofuels blending, renewable energy installation and development of indigenous resources and clean energy technologies,” Petilla said.
The Energy chief also said that the department has three ongoing special projects – the high impact solar project, which entails promoting the use of solar energy in the Philippines, the high impact hydro project, which is a joint venture with the Philippine National Oil Company-Renewables Corp., electric cooperatives and the private sector and the electric vehicles (e-trike) project, which is under a loan agreement between the government and the Asian Development Bank.
For the e-trike project, the ADB is working with the government to promote the adoption of e-trikes in Metro Manila and soon, throughout the country.
Ultimately, ADB and the government hope to see 100,000 electric tricycles on the road by 2016.
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The e-trike produces no noise and zero tailpipe emissions and can be charged at night during off-peak electricity hours, according to the ADB.
