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The energy hungry Philippines and development on Montelago

The energy hungry Philippines and development on Montelago Oriental Mindoro, Philippines (source: flickr/ Welcome to my B&B, creative commons)
Francisco Rojas 17 Feb 2015

The Philippines needs to build 600-megawatts every year for the next 15 years to meet the energy requirements spurred by the fast economic growth in the country

It is well known that The Philippines is one of the world’s leading producers of geothermal energy, and due to faster economic development, the lead in this particular field might grow even more.

According to Voice of America, “in Manila and many other parts of the Philippines, an increasing number of brownouts and blackouts are expected during the upcoming hottest months — symptoms of an energy crunch that continues amid a fast-growing economy.”

In order to tackle these issues, geothermal is the most viable answer to generate new electricity, considering the huge potential that the country has and has still to be harnessed.

Rural communities such as Montelago that are positioned at the edge of the power grid, traditional approached are not very viable and a need for a baseload solution is crucial, making geothermal a key resource.

According to the same source, Fidel Correa, of the firm Emerging Power, said a test well will show how much energy can be produced here (Montelago).

“We were shooting for 40-megawatts to supply the whole of Mindoro island with electricity from geothermal power,” said Correa.

Emerging Power thinks geothermal energy could cut the cost of electricity by half for Mindoro’s residents.

The demand for electricity is huge, according to analysts like Benjamin Diokno at the University of the Philippines’ School of Economics stating that:

“We need to build 600-megawatts every year for the next 15 years to meet our energy requirements,” said Diokno.

Diokno said more geothermal investment can provide the Philippines and other countries above active volcanic zones with a cleaner and longer lasting energy source.

To read then full article, please follow the link below.

Source: Voice of America