THE Mandaue City government is hoping to get technical assistance for its project to develop green growth areas.
Mandaue, located on the central-eastern coastal part of Cebu, is one of three nominees for the Low Carbon Model Town (LCMT) Project of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Working Group (EWG), the Department of Energy said in a statement.
The two other nominees are Krasnoyarsk City, Russia and Subang Jaya, Malaysia.
The winner will be known during the APEC Energy Ministers’ Meeting, which will be held in Cebu next month.
The winner will receive technical assistance, such as a feasibility study to help them determine ways to implement their low carbon plans for their respective cities.
The DOE said the LCMT project has been instrumental in encouraging communities in the region to embark on city planning initiatives promoting low carbon technologies to manage the rapidly increasing energy consumption and consequently, mitigate the adverse effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment.
“We are constantly looking for potential LCMT candidates and it impresses me to find Mandaue City with such a comprehensive plan involving land use, green building and transportation,” DOE Undersecretary Loreta G. Ayson, Philippine Senior Official on Energy (SOE) Leader, said.
Aside from its proposed project to develop green growth areas, Mandaue is also working on a proposed ordinance promoting disaster-resilient buildings in the city.
Ayson said the city government has a clear target for reducing its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and has long been crafting measures to establish a sustainable city to address air pollution and traffic congestion.
Previous winners of the LCMT project include Da Nang in Vietnam, which implemented an innovative system of electric motorbikes and charging facilities.
Samui Island in Thailand also got support for its feasibility study to utilize solar, wind and small hydro power; reliance on electric vehicles and reforestation and protection of existing forests.
They also adapted green technologies for resort and hotel developments such as solar water heaters, solar panels on rooftops, biomass power generation of kitchen waste and increased ventilation for natural cooling.
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