Northern samar: The provincial government of Northern Samar is laying out a long-term plan to expand renewable energy development, improve access to reliable electricity, and create green jobs under a proposed roadmap extending to 2040.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Northern Samar Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) presented on Thursday the draft renewable energy roadmap, outlining key programs and actions to be undertaken in the short, medium, and long term. PPDO Officer-in-Charge Jay Keenson Acebuche stated that the roadmap focuses on ensuring that renewable energy investments translate into tangible benefits for communities.
"At the center of the roadmap is the goal of enhancing energy security and resilience in Northern Samar through sustainable and renewable energy solutions. Reliable energy was presented not simply as a concern of the power sector, but as an essential requirement for the effective delivery of hospital services and utilities, digital learning, agriculture and irrigation, water systems, fisheries and livelihoods, and the continued growth of businesses and the local economy," Acebuche explained.
By 2040, the province aims for households to have dependable electricity, businesses to operate with greater confidence, and farmers and fisherfolk to gain access to productive energy, according to the official. The roadmap also seeks to ensure that critical facilities remain operational during disasters, while remote communities receive meaningful energy services.
Acebuche emphasized that renewable energy investments should generate jobs, livelihoods, revenues, and other opportunities while protecting the environment. The Northern Samar Renewable Energy Roadmap 2026-2040 outlines the province's strategy toward a stable, accessible, resilient, sustainable, and energy-secure future by expanding its energy mix and adopting renewable sources such as wind, solar, and hydropower, which the province considers to have strong development potential.
Aside from renewable energy infrastructure and investments, the roadmap includes measures to strengthen the province's human capital through capacity-building programs for communities and expand opportunities for green skills and jobs. The roadmap, co-drafted by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities and the Northern Samar provincial government, was developed as an output of a technical writing workshop conducted earlier this month.
