Hydrogen Power Plant in Zamboanga Sibugay: A Game-Changer for Off-Grid Towns
Photo by Sam LaRussa on Unsplash
A French hydrogen power company is set to revolutionize the energy landscape in Zamboanga Sibugay province, as it pilots the first hydrogen power plant in the country and Southeast Asia.
The project, estimated to cost P3 billion (or $50 million), aims to provide a stable electricity supply to the off-grid towns on the Olutanga group of islands.
The provincial government of Zamboanga Sibugay, led by Governor Dulce Ann Hofer, has allocated a 40-hectare site in Talusan, one of the three towns on Olutanga Island, to construct the power plant.
Once operational, this ambitious undertaking will significantly benefit the local communities.
The memorandum of cooperation for the project was signed in Davao City last May, with the participation of the French company Hydrogen de France (HDF) Energy, the Zamboanga Sibugay provincial government, and the three towns of Olutanga, Mabuhay, and Talusan.
Michèle Boccoz, French Ambassador to the Philippines, expressed her government’s support for the project, emphasizing the importance of transitioning to sustainable energy sources to protect the environment.
The president of HDF Energy Philippines, Mathieu Gèze, explained that the hydrogen power plant will produce hydrogen by splitting water molecules using an electrolyzer.
This process has minimal waste production and will have no negative impact on the local community. The harvested hydrogen will be stored in tanks for future use.
However, Gèze mentioned that the plant will take approximately four years to start operating.
The first two years will be dedicated to developing the necessary systems, while the remaining two years will be focused on building the facility.
Aside from being a pilot site for hydrogen power, Olutanga Island will also be transformed into a green energy island.
The project aims to position the island as a premier agrifishery and ecotourism hub in Mindanao and the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area.
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