Philippines aims for 20,000-MW renewable energy capacities

Philippines aims for 20,000-MW renewable energy capacities

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said Friday (April 21) the Philippines
endeavors to add at least 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy (RE)
capacities by 2040 to sustain economic gains and continue efforts to elevate
the quality of life in the country.

Cusi made the statement during the launch by the Department of Energy (DOE)
and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) of the Renewables
Readiness Assessment (RRA) for the country at the Energy Center at Bonifacio
Global City.

"The RRA is a collaboration among the DOE, IRENA and other renewable energy
stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. It is vital in our
vision towards attaining 20,000 megawatts of renewable energy capacities by
2040," said Cusi.

The energy chief said that with the Philippine government's aggressive
stance towards building RE capacities, there is a need to identify and
analyze key challenges to further guide our stakeholders in our policies,
regulatory and institutional framework.

He said that formulating the RRA involved research, interviews, focus group
discussions and several multi-stakeholder consultations. The Philippine RRA
will also contribute to a database of the status of renewables readiness
across member countries of IRENA.

IRENA is an intergovernmental organization that supports countries in
transitioning into a sustainable energy future. It serves as the principal
platform for international cooperation and an avenue to explore other values
of renewable energy as it promotes widespread adoption and sustainable use
of all forms in the pursuit of sustainable development.

Cusi added that the goal is to provide a comprehensive and detailed analyses
of the country's RE profile to recommend measures to deal with the pertinent
issues in the industry.

The DOE-Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) also prepared the launch
of the RRA to serve as a forum with industry stakeholders to inform them on
its results, solicit their views in carrying out the recommendations and
discuss opportunities and challenges of the RE sector.

The launch was graced by DOE Assistant Secretary Roberto Uy, DOE-REMB
Director Mario Marasigan, DOE-REMB Assistant Director Marissa Cerezo,
National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) Chairperson Atty. Jose Layug Jr.,
IRENA Senior Programme Officer Gurbuz Gunol and IRENA Regional Programme
Officer for Asia-Pacific Yong Chen.

"The DOE is committed to provide a level playing field among RE developers
to assure the country of its indigenous and sustainable energy for the
consuming public," said Cusi.

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Link to Original Article:
http://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/21/ph-aims-for-20000-mw-renewable-energy-capac
ities/

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com