DOE updating PH energy plan for 2013-2030

The Department of Energy (DOE) is updating the Philippine Energy Plan and may release the final draft before the end of the year, said Director Jesus Tamang of the DOE-Energy Policy and Planning Bureau.

The rebooted plan will incorporate a review of the 2013 program, address concerns about future tightness in electricity supply and provide measures to prevent spikes in power generation charges.

The DOE will review the country’s existing power generation capacity, the status of the privatization of the state’s power assets, the share of renewable energy to the nationwide grid, climate change adaptation programs especially in the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” and the power demand forecasting.

“We want to identify developing needs. Is it really in the power-intensive industries or the sectors with lower individual consumption rates (but growing in number of accounts)? We want to see where the needs are so that power plants can locate as close as possible to the market,” Tamang said.

The farther a power plant is from its market, the longer power lines are needed, which means more energy losses and higher costs of putting up power lines, inevitably resulting in higher rates for electricity consumers.

“We need to shift focus from supply to demand forecasting,” Tamang said.

The draft of the revised plan for 2013 to 2030 will be presented to Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla next month. The plan will then be subjected to a series of public consultations before September. By September this year, the plan will be presented to the Office of the President for approval. Publication may take place in December, Tamang said.

The official noted, however, that publication would not mean the work was over. On the contrary, he said, finishing the plan only meant there would be more work ahead to implement it.

The country has not published an energy plan for the past two years various issues—from the Mindanao energy crisis to the “Yolanda” rehabilitation efforts—were prioritized.

There have been regional consultations on the draft plans and similar sessions with various stakeholders are expected to be held soon.

“We want to make sure that the LGUs understand the plan so that, hopefully, energy industry players will have an easier time applying for permits, right of way and other requirements to speed up their projects,” Tamang said.