ENERGIZING
HINTERLANDS: DILEMMA OF ISLAND
REPUBLICS
Erle Frayne D. Argonza
Good
morning from the Philippines
Erecting
energy grids is the main thing in energy distribution and could be so for some
decades to come. The Philippines
has been among the most notably advanced in building a grid infrastructure in its
large islands (Luzon, Mindanao ), a precedent
that has been emulated by other developing countries.
Observably,
power production had somehow followed the course of grid infrastructures. That
is, it had been facile to install and operate energy production plants for many
countries, including island republics, following the distribution lines of
energy grids.
The
dilemma in power production comes with the hinterlands of developing countries.
Situated too far distant from grid lines, energizing hinterland villages had
proved to be a daunting task particularly for island republics.
Ironically,
the Philippines
Even
that option—of installing micro-power plants in situ—proves to be un-feasible using standard yardsticks of economies
of scale. The solution adopted by RP’s energy experts is to innovate on hybrid
technology, with clean technologies such as solar power on the frontline.
Two
(2) years ago, the state’s energy department pronounced that merely 900+
barangays (villages) out of the country’s over 42,000 barangays remain without
electricity. The regime of the previous president Gloria Arroyo promised to
energize the said villages before her term ends in May 2010.
Alas!
Arroyo’s term had already ended and a new president—Noynoy Aquino—has been
installed to power, but the electrification of the said villages is nowhere in
site! Just exactly what ‘barriers to entry’ continue to hound the hinterlands
electrification program seems to be kept as tightly guarded secret by the energy
department, a fact that is tainted with transparency questions (the mass media
is a bit silent about the matter).
I
do recall that the contemporary hinterlands electrification program in RP began
yet with the incumbency of then Secretary Vince Perez, an investment banker,
who sat in the post for four (4) consecutive years. He was later replaced by
Popo Lotilla, a laywer and economist, with similar pronouncements made by his
office regarding the matter. Angelo Reyes, former defense secretary, then
replaced Lotilla as energy secretary, and heralded the same pronouncements
about electrification targets for the hinterlands.
Secretaries
Perez and Lotilla are brilliant minds no less, as I recall both gentlemen
pretty well during our freshmen years at the University of the Philippines
The
energy sector surely grew more robust and dynamic during the incumbency of the energy
secretaries Perez and Lotilla, and the patterns they set were then followed by
those who replaced them later. I just hope that the visions and program targets
their respective offices have set will be followed without reserve, as time had
already elapsed since they left their respective offices (they are now back to
their private practice).
With
a new president now sitting in power, the question remains the same: will the
900+ villages see the electric lights at night very soon? Or, will the same
villages continue to wallow in the ‘dark age’ of zero electricity?
Meantime,
let us hope that the situation for other island republics isn’t as bad as it is
in RP that leads the world in grid technologies yet is lackluster in
electrifying the hinterlands. What sayeth New Zealand
[Philippines
[See: IKONOKLAST: http://erleargonza.blogspot.com,
UNLADTAU: http://unladtau.wordpress.com,
COSMICBUHAY: http://cosmicbuhay.blogspot.com,
BRIGHTWORLD: http://erlefraynebrightworld.wordpress.com,
ARTBLOG: http://erleargonza.wordpress.com,
ARGONZAPOEM: http://argonzapoem.blogspot.com]
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