It focuses on solving the power crisis issue and promoting sustainable energy sources. It aims to help the over 3 million people who still rely on coal, charcoal, or animal waste for everyday activities like cooking and heating. Also, energy is the most significant contributor to environmental issues because of its emissions. Having affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy is beneficial not just for people but also becomes necessary since we only have a limited time before climate change becomes irreversible. 

SDG 16 - Peace Justice and Strong Institutions 

The SDG 16 aims to take urgent action to manage conflicts, wars and their worsening impacts to the global population. War is a leading cause of displacement among citizens who are forced to avoid uninhabitable conditions characterized by killings, violence, disappearances, and human rights violations. This unjust disruption in people’s lives sinks them further into poverty and aggravates the inequalities they experience. Therefore, it is imperative to take immediate action to combat wars and conflicts to ensure that every individual is safe and has access to sustainable sources of income.   

Lanao Del Norte is one of the developed cities in Northern Mindanao. However, one of its towns has no electricity power lines. Nunungan still uses small-diesel-powered generators to support the lives of its over 18,500 residents. Moreover, Lanao Del Norte's NGCP, or National Grid Corporation of the Philippines Tower, was bombed this October by an unidentified group. This incident led to a blackout in the different parts of Lanao Del Norte and some other parts of Zamboanga Peninsula. 

The use of diesel for generating electricity through generators is not foreign since people have utilized this mechanism since World War 2. It is efficient because it can power different objects like ships and trains. However, it produces large amounts of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and other particulate matter. These gasses are known to be harmful to the environment and humans. As stated in the United States Environmental Protection Agency report this June 2022, diesel emissions contribute to worsening global warming since it is affecting the ground-level ozone. Aside from that, exposure to it increases respiratory illnesses like asthma. 

The power crisis in Lanao del Norte shows the importance of SDG 7, "affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all." Different parts of Lanao del Norte still use diesel, which, as mentioned earlier, is harmful, unsustainable, and unreliable. To solve this power crisis, the Barangay Line Enhancement Program – Electrification Project of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) began this November. This project aims to provide electricity to the areas without access to it. It is a P43 million project funded by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity. Additionally, the town of Nunungan will finally receive electricity after more than 50 years, thanks to the collaboration of Laneco and Lanao Builders and Enterprises. 

To further see the importance of having power grids and electrical lines, a report by Greber in 1977 about energy planning states that it will lessen the cost of energy, reduce the number of blackouts and reduce the environmental challenges. Additionally, USC USA suggests that having grid transmission will be more reliable and flexible.

On the other hand, this also has some disadvantages, such as being more costly because construction requires labor and quality materials. Also, although power grids are better than diesel, there is still a risk because the electrical distribution over long distances has higher temperatures, hence, losing energy, and the consumers still pay for it. Lastly, there is a risk of privacy or cyber issues due to having electrical grids. There have been several cases when people hacked energy companies, and these hackers controlled a blackout (Štompf, 2020).