DoE completes roadmap for renewable energy
MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Energy has completed a national roadmap for the renewable energy industry, providing a more stable direction toward the development and more efficient use of these sources.
“The National Renewable Energy Plan (NREP) outlines the policy framework that is in the law. This will provide the strategic building blocks that would allow the Philippine renewable energy industry to fly,” said Energy Undersecretary Josefina Asirit.
On the sidelines of a House energy committee hearing on Tuesday, Asirit explained that the NREP would provide a “continuing and well-coordinated effort to drive development in the RE industry, to promote technological advancements, and achieve economies of scale.”
Specifically, the NREP will contain targets for the renewable energy industry, the vision, mission and all other mechanisms and incentives as provided for under the Renewable Energy Law of 2008. Also included in the plan are timetables for these incentives and mechanisms, such as the RE market and RE registrar, feed-in-tariffs, renewable portfolio standards, green energy option program and net metering, among others.
In a nutshell, the NREP will allow the government to fulfill its targets, particularly when it comes to national energy security.
The RE industry needs such directions to prevent lags in the implementation of some mechanisms. For example, the feed-in tariff system should have been developed within six months of the signing of the implementing rules and regulations governing the RE Law. The law was signed in November 2009.
Asirit also pointed out the need to harmonize and rationalize the entire industry as the government now expects a great number of these projects coming in over the next three years, especially with the expected issuance of the feed-in-tariffs and installation targets.
Also, Asirit further disclosed that the DoE would soon sign new service contracts for RE—a positive signal to local developers eager to start work on their respective power projects.
