DOE receives 25 bids for next RE auction

MANILA  -The Department of Energy (DOE) has received 25 bids in its fourth open and competitive selection process (OCSP 4) held last week for hydropower, geothermal and wind energy resources.

According to the DOE, the applicants gave offers for 13 out of the 20 available predetermined areas (PDAs), or locations with potential renewable energy (RE) resources deemed “suitable for further development.”

Energy Assistant Secretary Mylene Capongcol, who heads the OCSP 4 review and evaluation committee, noted that the DOE had received “very good” applications, especially for wind projects.

OCSPs are conducted to help increase the country’s RE capacity through a competitive bidding process.

A total of eight bids were received for hydropower PDAs for a potential capacity of 64.4 megawatts (MW), two for geothermal for 120 MW capacity, and 15 for wind energy.

Among the notable bidders were Lopez-led Energy Development Corp., which applied for two of the three geothermal PDAs, and First Gen Visayas Energy Inc., which gave an application for one of the three wind PDAs.

The DOE said they were also reviewing motions for reconsideration filed by four bidders with incomplete submissions for hydro and wind.

The PDAs that did not receive any bids, meanwhile, “may be declared open for direct application pursuant to the existing guidelines,” the DOE noted.

The agency offered three PDAs for geothermal resources with a potential capacity of 160 MW and 14 PDAs for hydropower with a potential capacity of 87.96 MW.

The agency has yet to determine the available capacity for the three PDAs dedicated for wind resources following its recently completed assessment for wind energy in the country.

Legal, technical and financial evaluations of all the bids are expected to be completed by Oct. 12, while the awarding of contracts is scheduled on Nov. 24.

—Meg J. Adonis INQ