Mackay Green Energy's overseas deals to benefit PH

Renewable energy firm Mackay Green Energy recently disclosed that a growing number of overseas clients has expressed interest in the company’s technology that utilizes bana grass as alternative source of energy.

Mackay Green Energy has developed technologies to convert bana grass, a variety of grass that can be converted to fuel found to be superior to fossil-based coal and can be mixed with coal for power generation.

“We are planning to expand internationally and export to other countries for their need of biomass and green coal. Present requirement for biomass mostly comes from Korea and Japan,” Rex Jamillarin, Mackay Green Energy Chief Technology Officer said.

According to Jamillarin, Korea signed an environmental agreement and has since made moves to require coal-fired power plants to get renewable energy certificate. The same also goes to Japan.

“To achieve that renewable energy certificate, coal-fired power plants has to mix biomass with coal in a certain ratio so they can get incentives from their government. It helps that it primarily reduces carbon footprints too. Here in the Philippines, we don’t have that kind of incentive yet that’s why we’re trying to lobby to the government if they can provide incentives to coal-fired power plants that will convert or put a mixture of biomass in their scheme,” Jamillarin added.
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The company has also received inquiries and interests from Malaysia, India and Africa.

“We are developing and perfecting the technologies that we’ll use on the bana grass. We are collaborating with manufacturers already. Apart from that, we are also encouraging a lot of investors to invest in the bana grass plantation and in the development of facilities for power and thermal generation,” the CTO shared.

Due to positive prospects and potential growth, Mackay continues to expand its bana grass plantations in the Caraga region including Butuan, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, MisamisO Oriental and Claveria.

Jamillarin disclosed that they have also met investors from Negros.

“They have ordered 20 million tons of biomass for Korea. Mackay is collaborating with these investors to propagate plantations in Caraga region because it’s located near the Export Processing Zone in Taguluan, Misamis Oriental. The bana grass will be processed in Butuan and in Misamis Oriental and will be exported from there. Locally, there are power plant developers planning to use bana grass on some electric cooperatives in Southern Leyte, Samar and Mindoro,” he said.

As a result of this development, Mackay is set to expand its Zambonga plantation and the expansion would provide job generation to locals.

“We currently have 200 hectares in Zamboanga and we employ about 30 people for one hectare. We’re looking at planting thousands of hectares of bana grass. Our licensees have employed rebels who opted to farm and leave their guns to till the soil instead. We are also helping reformed drug addicts by providing them work. With the recent closure of mining companies, the bana grass plantation can give jobs to those who lost theirs,” Jamillarin noted, saying that Mackay Green Energy was able to help create employment opportunities to rebel returnees, reformed drug addicts and jobseekers.

Mackay Green Energy has vowed to support the Duterte administration’s campaign to protect the environment. The planned expansion of the firm is also set to contribute to the peace process and drug wars by providing employment to the underprivileged.