SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – In an effort to promote renewable energy to locators in this free port, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) co-organized and welcomed the “Make REshift Happen” roadshow organized by the Board of Investments (BOI) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

The event held at the Subic Grand Harbour Hotel here on October 2 project introduced the guidelines for registering Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Act projects.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Eduardo L. Aliño said the Make REshift Happen project aims to raise awareness on and support for the national government’s goal of increasing the ratio of renewable energy in the country’s power generation mix from 35 percent by 2030 to 50 percent by 2040. 

Participants from manufacturing companies in Subic Bay, together with their respective SBMA account officers, took part in the info session wherein the BOI urged local manufacturers to decrease their reliance on conventional energy sources by embracing energy efficiency and conservation measures.

BOI Director for Domestic Investments Promotion Service (DIPS) Maria Rosario Dominguez the Make REshift Happen roadshow is intended for enterprises engaged in export-oriented manufacturing and other industries with substantial power requirements.

It is also a testament to the BOI’s dedication in pushing for the adoption of renewable energy, she added.

During said session, BOI Resource-Based Industries Service Director Raquel Echague cited the importance of the transition of manufacturing companies to renewable energy (RE) in powering their businesses inside this premier Freeport.

She said companies that transition to REs are given incentives, adding that BOI and DTI aim to provide benefits to facilities that will use renewable energy sources to power their operations.

Echague also conducted a presentation on the updated registration guidelines for EE&C projects with BOI under Republic Act No. 11285 (RA11285) or the EE&C Act, to provide the SBMA account officers with information on how to assist companies here in applying for their incentives.

Last month, the SBMA launched the “Race to Carbon Neutrality” project that aims to reduce carbon emissions in the Subic Freeport by 30 percent by 2030, and eventually to net zero by 2040.

Currently, the SBMA continues to reap savings from its own solar power systems installed as early as 2017 at the Malawaan Park, Bldg. 229, Bldg. 255, Bldg. 662, Regulatory Bldg., and the Remy Field.

The SBMA said it saved a total of P2.96 million in 2023 from these solar power installations. 