TUGUEGARAO CITY — Calayan, a coastal town in Cagayan province, would soon be served with electricity generated by solar panels to help its residents recover from the impact of typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut) last month.
At a media briefing on Wednesday, Leandro Leviste, president of clean energy advocate Solar Para sa Bayan, said that his group had put up a 320-kilowatt power grid to energize Calayan, which is still recovering from crop and infrastructure losses. Calayan has 16,702 residents.
Calayan town may be reached via a five-hour boat ride from the Aparri port.
Both power and communications have yet to be restored there, more than two weeks after Ompong pummelled Cagayan.
Leviste said the Calayan project helps promote solar energy to the countryside, as an “alternative choice for cheap, clean, reliable electricity, at zero cost to government.”
Aside from Calayan, Solar Para sa Bayan has been serving Dingalan town in Aurora; Claveria town in Masbate; Dumaran town in Palawan; and Lubang town in Occidental Mindoro.
Solar Para sa Bayan plans to extend its services to more towns with no electricity in Cagayan, according to Leviste.
The Calayan solar project would be a long-term venture, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba said.
Solar Para sa Bayan was recently granted approval to set up and manage solar power infrastructure by the Department of Energy, and has been endorsed by at least 20 towns in Luzon, including Calayan. /kga