A CITY Councilor is pushing for the implementation of a waste-to-energy project in Bacolod City to resolve the city's problem on power and the worsening garbage problem.

Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, chair of the committee on energy, announced that she is pushing for the waste-to-energy project and other energy generation projects to reduce the carbon emission in the environment.

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Sigue cited that the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (Iges), in partnership with Klima Climate Change Center, recently reiterated its call for more Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in Bacolod and Negros Occidental.

She said various trainings were conducted last year pertaining to the project.

"Ultimately, the end result of a CDM project includes cleaner air and water, better waste management, enhanced forestation, reduced dependence on imported fossil fuels, rural development and employment and poverty alleviation," she said.

The Iges offered to provide CDM assistance for free, particularly in the identification and evaluation of possible CDM projects, estimate on potential emission reductions, preparation of the project design document, and endorsement to New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) for the Certified Emissions Reductions (CER) purchase, Sigue said.

Marina Mallare, project coordinator of Klima-Climate Change Center, Manila Observatory last week requested Sigue to identify potential CDM projects where the IGES assistance could be made.

Sigue noted that investors and local government officials should actively pursue the project, especially with the passage of the Renewable Energy Law (REL) of 2008, which will provide mechanisms to further harness "green" energy sources.

"The law is considered very timely especially with the impact of climate change," she said.

The REL aims to accelerate the exploration of geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, biomass, wind, and ocean energy; and increase the utilization and development of renewable energy.

Last month, investors announced the plan to build a P3-billion waste-to-energy plant in Panay, which is said to be the country's first commercial production of energy coming from rice stalks, husks and other agricultural wastes to boost the use of renewable sources of energy and address looming power supply shortage in Western Visayas.

Independent power producer Asea One Power Corp. (AOPC) plans to put up power plants in Panay and Guimaras, producing a total of 25 megawatts by converting wastes to energy.

Meanwhile, other eligible projects under the CDM include bio-fuel end-use energy efficiency improvements, supply-side energy, efficiency improvements, sink projects (only afforestation and reforestation, industrial processes (CO2, from cement, HFCs, and the like), agriculture (reduction of CH4 and N2O emissions).

A CER is like a stock certificate given by the CDM Executive Board to projects in developing countries to certify that they have reduced green house gas emissions by one ton of carbon dioxide per year.