PH seen to be on track with RE program

The Philippines is on track to triple its renewable energy supply to at least 15,000 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity by 2030, officials said at a forum.

Mario Marasigan, director of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) renewable energy management bureau, said there has been much interest in the current feed-in-tariff regime (including rates and installation capacity).

“We will first meet the targets under the current FIT regime and, in the future, we will be open to a more competitive regime,” Marasigan said.

DOE Undersecretary Ramon Allan V. Oca said the department is also supporting RE by relaxing application rules and, at the same time, becoming more strict in monitoring project implementation.

“Substantial” progress has to be achieved in approved projects according to strict timelines, otherwise contracts get cancelled. This, Oca      said, is to weed out companies that are not serious in installing RE capacity.

The Philippines’ current RE capacity is rated at 5,400 MW, according to DOE data.

On the consumer sector side, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest power distributor, has already energized its first net metering customer, said Ivanna G. de la Peña, company first vice-president and regulatory affairs head.

Under the net metering scheme, electricity consumers can set up solar power systems or other RE technologies and get credits for the amount of energy generated. Initially, this will be based on Meralco’s per kilowatt-hour generation charge and will be offset from the consumer’s power bill.

“About 15 more net metering applications are in the pipeline,” de la Peña said.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla earlier said the Philippines would need about P556.7 billion worth of RE investments from 2012 to 2030 to meet its program targets.

The country hopes to triple its RE capacity by 2030 while ensuring reliable and efficient energy supply for both businesses and households.