Philippines: Mindanao to work on more renewable energy sources

Philippines: Mindanao to work on more renewable energy sources

The National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) urged power producers to embark
on sourcing of renewable energy (RE) following the approval of the guideline
of Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS)

NREB chair Jose Layug, Jr., who was in Davao City for the public
consultation on RPS held at the SMX Convention Center on Wednesday, July 26,
said power source ratio in Mindanao is at 60-40 in favour of coal, Layug
said. "We are hoping that with the RPS bumalik kayo dun sa level in 2011
which is 70 percent RE," he said.

Layug said that the government has been encouraging power producers,
including cooperatives to invest on RE

"Our preference is to have more renewable energy," he said.

He cited that there are successful RE investments in the Philippines like
the Cadiz Solar Power Farm in Negros Occidental which is the biggest in
Southeast Asia and also the Wind Power Farm in Bangui, Ilocos Norte.

Without naming the details of RE projects which are in the pipeline, he said
several projects are on the list for possible investments in the island.

"Mindanao has very good prospects on RE," Layug said.

Layug underscored that RE can be sourced from biomass, water to energy
technology wind, solar, run-of-river hydroelectric power systems, impounding
hydroelectric power systems, ocean energy, hybrid systems as defined in the
RE Act, with respect to the RE component, geothermal energy.

On the other hand, he said there are revisions made in the application as
Department of Energy (DOE) committing for a 25-day processing from complete
submission of documents.

Citing Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RE Act), Layug
said it is the declared policy of the State to increase the utilization of
RE by institutionalizing the development of national and local capabilities
in the use of RE systems, and promoting their efficient and cost-effective
commercial application by providing fiscal and non-fiscal incentives.

The Epira (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) mandates DOE to encourage
private sector investments in the electricity sector and promote the
development of indigenous and RE resources.

Layug is hopeful on the approval of RPS by the third quarter this year to
give consumers the option on what source they would want if green energy or
the conventional source like coal. All the consumers will do is call their
distribution utilities (DUs) that they want their power, for instance, be
sourced from renewable energy, he explained.

He added this will also give consumers of Mindanao choices once the green
energy option rules come out.

Layug stressed that through the RPS consultation the stakeholders will have
a better understanding and reduce the level of opposition compared to their
previous consultations conducted in 2011.

He said the next consultation will be held in Manila next month. Its
objective is to increase to 35 percent the actual utilization of RE in the
entire Philippines by 2030 and this would be about 10,000 megawatts of new
installed capacity of renewable energy throughout the country.

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Link to Original Article: http://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1003303

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com