Small hydropower projects run by local communities are ​no pipedream. One such project has been running for 16+ ​years in Negros Occidental under the management of the ​local community’s own cooperative.

On July 10, 2024, a team led by Rafael L. Coscolluela, ​Provincial Consultant for Energy and Environmental ​Concerns, paid a working visit to the remotely-located ​hydro power plant located in Northern Negros. True ​enough, here stood a perfect example of the DER ​(“Distributed Energy Resource”) model operating ​independently from the grid, as witnessed by the visiting ​team comprised of members of the Provincial Power ​Sector Study Group (PPS-SG) and the Negrosanon ​Initiative for Climate and the Environment (NICE).

Established in 2008 through ADB, the Japan Fund for ​Poverty Reduction, the Provincial Government and REnew ​Negros, this micro-hydro powerplant has transformed the ​energy landscape for 2 Sitios, providing electricity to at ​least 253 households. With a turbine-powered 62kva ​generator, the plant allows the community to generate ​their own electricity, off-grid.

This DER not only ensures energy self-sufficiency but also ​allows community members to set their own charges for ​power consumption, with some households paying as ​little as 20 Pesos per month.

The continuing development and success of such DERs - ​particularly for unserved communities or areas that can ​be served by renewable power resources - is a key ​element in the Energy Development Roadmap of Negros ​Occidental.

As part of the province's campaign for power security ​through renewable energy, the SecuRE Negros campaign ​seeks to bring Renewable, Reliable, Affordable, Available, ​Accessible, and Sustainable Energy in Occidental Negros ​(RRAAASE-ON) to all Negrenses by 2030.

Transitioning to more renewable energy & DER’s, ​according to the PPS-SG, will help Negros attain its goal ​of a greener and more empowered future. And there is ​living proof up in the hinterlands of Negros Occidental!