thesis

Abstract

This research will study the impact of geothermal energy infrastructure in the Philippines, and will highlight the risks associated with any future development. Through a deep dive literature review, the first chapter will lay the foundation for the worsening energy crisis in the Philippines, and outline where aid has historically and continues to be received from to aid resiliency and environmental conservation efforts in the disaster-prone country. Through a comparative case study and focus on the geothermal energy power plant in Albay, Bicol, Philippines, policies, laws, and social movements will be reviewed to better understand how the presence of the state and NGOs has shaped life and development in the region. By understanding the drivers of development and decision-making in the region, the second chapter will outline the potential of geothermal energy infrastructure to be a catalyst and example of not only more resilient development, but one that adequately improves the conditions and quality of life for local people. The current scale of implementation and management of geothermal energy will be challenged to re-prioritize the needs of people at the smallest administrative division, the ‘barangay.’

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Methods

This thesis is a deep dive multimedia and literature review and policy analysis that reviews the impact of geothermal energy infrastructure in the Philippines, and highlights the risks associated with any future development. The thesis is organized into three chapters entitled as so:

CHAPTER 1: Geopolitical Implications of Energy Systems in the Philippines

CHAPTER 2: Prioritizing the Bicol Region

CHAPTER 3: Centering Indigenous Peoples in Geothermal Energy Development

CHAPTER 1

The first chapter will lay the foundation for the worsening energy crisis in the Philippines, that is continuously compounded by the disastrous effects of superstorms, typhoons, volcano eruptions, and other natural calamities. I will discuss the gross paradox of climate change’s impact on the Philippines compared to its contribution globally, justifying the urgency to aid the country. 

However, I will be challenging and questioning three things: 1) where aid has come from and continues to be received by, 2) how the narrative of conservation and protection of the country’s resources is crafted and disseminated, and 3) the presence and ultimately failure of NGOs in the country to help local people in conservation efforts.

With renewable energy discourse increasing, the Philippines sits upon a basin of geothermal energy that is large enough to not only power the country as a whole and reduce existing socioeconomic disparities, but also export it to support adjacent countries if maximized. With many regions constantly rebuilding due to natural disasters, questions arise regarding building telecommunications and energy infrastructure through business as usual, especially with many still connected to non-resilient centralized networks. How can we rethink the scale of infrastructure, drastically reduce capital costs, and potentially decentralize these systems to better serve communities adjacent? 

CHAPTER 2

To create a base case of study, I will be discussing all three (3) geothermal energy plants, but will focus on understanding the impact of the geothermal energy plant in Albay, Bicol, Philippines primarily, due to its distance (300 km southeast) from the country’s main urban centre, Manila, but positioned on the same island and province of Luzon. Bicol is also one of the most vulnerable regions in the country. This chapter will outline the historical timeline of policies, laws, and social movements around environmental conservation and indigenous peoples that has shaped the efforts of NGOs and the state in the region. This will begin to paint the picture of conflicting management of the “biodiversity regime” and the “indigenous people’s empowerment regime,” that is prevalent in Bicol. By understanding the projects and programs deployed to protect and conserve Bicol’s environment and resources, we can begin to see how development in these areas have failed to improve conditions for local people and are primarily market-driven, which is one of the largest risks when discussing a new energy economy. This chapter will outline the potential of geothermal energy to act as a catalyst for resilient development.

CHAPTER 3

This chapter will discuss how geothermal energy infrastructure can be reimagined, asking questions like (but not limited to): Should geothermal energy be managed as a natural resource? How should power be distributed and who should have access to it? What can we learn from the successes and failures of community-based forest management? This chapter will challenge Western notions and tools for land tenure and leasing that has been historically deployed in the country, alongside deep Filipinx philosophies and cultural ideologies of community-building, to reimagine potential new models of resource management and cooperative-like ownership that prioritize residents and addressing the needs of people at the barangay (smallest administrative division, smaller than a municipality) scale.