MANILA - The Philippines will try to generate electricity from sea currents under a project funded by an Italian grant, an official said yesterday.

A turbine on a barge would be moored in the Tanon Strait to see if the currents there could be used to power streetlights in a Cebu town, Science and Technology Undersecretary Graciano Yumul said.

The barge would lie between the central waters of the islands of Cebu and Negros and the project would hopefully generate 50-100 kilowatts of electricity, Yumul added.

The P80-million ($1.9-million) grant from the Italian government will be used to buy the turbine from an Italian firm specializing in experimental technology.

Yumul hoped that the project, to be installed late this year, would help the Philippines in its quest to develop environmentally-friendly energy sources that lessen dependence on expensive imported fuel.*AFP

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