DAVAO CITY — The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy’s (MENRE) Energy Management and Development Services (EMDS) and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) have reached another significant milestone in training EMDS staff to support energy transition initiatives centered on renewable energy development and management, as well as to improve energy security throughout the Bangsamoro region. The training was held from July 21-24 at Seda Hotel, Bajada, Davao City.

MENRE Director General for Energy Nasiri B. Abas emphasized the value of cordial relationships and knowledge sharing in every organization during his opening speech. He also expressed his sincere appreciation to the Department of Energy team led by ASec. Mylene C. Capongcol for their steadfast assistance and dedication to EMDS’ capacity building.

Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) Director General Engr. Mohajirin T. Ali, MNSA also emphasized the significance of leading the adoption of renewable energy technologies, particularly solar energy, in government offices and other agencies in order to demonstrate the government’s commitment to advancing renewable energy.

Reviewing the draft of the Renewable Energy Transition Agreement between DOE-REMB and MENRE-EMDS was the main topic during the first day of the discussion. Many conversations have been held to craft the agreement appropriately to address the region’s energy concerns through the EMDS. EMDS focal personnel and the DOE-REMD personnel actively exchanged their insights. The topics of the ensuing talks included application procedures, evaluating various renewable energy projects, putting energy efficiency plans into action, and advocating for clean energy technologies.

Furthermore, salient topics were also discussed including Renewable Energy Technical Evaluation, Wind Energy, Hydropower Energy, Geothermal Energy, Solar Energy, and Biomass Energy. The pre-development and development stages of the application processes, as well as the kind of contract for each technology, were covered, along with the initial requirements. Additionally, they mimicked the online application process flow using the EVOSS (Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop). Also, in the course of the presentation, the Technical Evaluation Exercises were used to understand the commonality and uniqueness of respective RE Technologies.

Further, the participants’ understanding and knowledge about Area Verification and Validation was strengthened. Subsequently, the legal evaluation was also presented, followed by the Financial Evaluation. The final session ended with the presentation of the Contract Template and Accounting Procedures, which were jointly presented by the Department of Energy’s Legal Services, Financial Services, and REMB. All of the previously mentioned presentations were jam-packed with exercises to immerse the EMDS Personnel in handling cases that were mirrored from the DOE-REMB.

The event ended with the presentation of ways forward and agreement. MENRE, on the other hand, will continue its efforts and initiatives to establish an enabled energy regulatory agency in the BARMM.