The Municipal Government of Paranas officially launched Day 1 of its four-day Renewable Energy (RE) Roadmap Scoping Workshop, bringing together its local Technical Working Group (TWG), energy experts, and development partners. Part of the Localizing Energy Transition initiative, this collaborative effort aims to develop a tailored local RE Plan and Roadmap to strengthen the town’s energy security, affordability, and climate resilience.

This milestone is made possible through the crucial support and technical guidance of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). In her keynote address, Municipal Mayor Elvira Babalcon expressed deep gratitude to ICSC, noting that this partnership builds on their previous successful collaboration to solarize the Paranas municipal building.

To anchor the workshop in national policy, ICSC experts Romil Hernandez (Director for Energy Policy) and Gaspar Escobar Jr. (Grid Modernization Advisor) opened the event and provided briefings on national frameworks like the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. These national policies directly intersect with local legislation, as Vice Mayor Atty. Eunice Babalcon presented an overview of Municipal Ordinance No. 108 (The Paranas Local Energy Code). The landmark ordinance establishes a Local Energy Sector Committee, integrates green projects into the town’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan, and creates barangay-level monitoring networks.

Paranas is not starting from scratch; the municipality already boasts a strong track record of active renewable energy integration. Local solar-powered facilities include the rural health unit, the materials recovery facility, disaster operations and evacuation centers, school classrooms, and streetlights. Currently, the town is even implementing an innovative climate-resilient eco-bricks classroom fitted with its own solar PV system and rainwater catchment.

Through these intensive sessions, ICSC and local officials are equipping the TWG to map out the exact visions and targets that will define the final roadmap. Facilitated by AktivAsia Pilipinas, the workshop is supported by the Tara Climate Foundation and forms part of the Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) project, led by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the International Climate Initiative (IKI).