Jomalig gets electricity from coco oil, says PCA

Barangay Apad in Jomalig Island, Quezon province now has electricity because of the successful experiments by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) using filtered coconut oil as biofuel in stationary and mobile engines. PCA chief Oscar Garin said in a statement Monday that a 1-metric ton filtered coconut oil plant was inaugurated in the island, with the launching of a 25-kilovolt ampere generator put up by the Department of Energy and the Quezon Electric Cooperative. Another partner in the project is the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, an intergovernmental organization with 15 member countries. This pilot project on the use and production of filtered coconut oil is now giving electricity to 47 consumers out of the 56 households targeted. Dina Masa, PCA product development manager, supervised the agency's experiments and explained that the PCA provided the equipment for the oil plant and the local government shouldered the building materials, maintenance, and operating expenses. Copra in Jomalig Island sells cheap — the reason why it was chosen as project site, Masa said. To make the project financially practical, copra prices should be at least P20 per kilogram or lower and diesel at P40 per liter. Garin said that filtered coconut oil production could make Jomalig self-reliant. With coconut abundant in the place, filtered coconut oil production could replace diesel and provide additional income to farmers who could sell copra to the plant. At the same time, every household in the island would have electricity, Garin added. —MR Gavin/VS, GMANews.TV