DoE to endorse 75 RE plants for feed-in tariff program
By Angelica Y. Yang – March 12, 2021 | 6:40 pm
from Business World
The Department of Energy (DoE) said Friday that 75 renewable energy (RE) plants with capacity of 1,323.01 megawatts (MW) of capacity will be endorsed to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) for feed-in tariff (FiT) eligibility.
In a document posted on its website Friday, the DoE said it issued certificates of endorsement (CoEs) to 31 biomass facilities, 23 solar projects, 15 hydro plants and six wind projects. No ocean projects that were issued a CoE. The numbers are based on DoE totals as of the end of December.
The DoE said in its latest FiT monitoring board summary that it hopes to meet its installation target capacity of 1,410 MW, leaving it 86.99 MW short.
The FiT program is a fixed subsidy paid by the government to RE developers to partially offset the risks in taking on new technology. The program is designed to encourage RE development.
In a department circular issued eight years ago, the department said that only RE developers that hold certificates of confirmation of commerciality can be issued a CoE for FiT eligibility. Firms that hold a CoE are endorsed to the ERC for the processing of a certificate of compliance under the FiT system.
“(However), the DoE nomination to the ERC shall not be construed as giving right to the RE Developer to be included in the FiT-eligible projects,” the DoE said in its guidelines for selecting RE projects under the FiT system and the awarding of certificates for FiT eligibility.
In December, the DoE extended the deadline for FIT applications by developers of run-of-river hydropower projects until the 250-MW installation target is reached.
Based on the department’s estimates, endorsed hydro projects have a total capacity of 145.11 MW.
On Friday, the DoE said there are 932 RE projects covered by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, with 870 commercial facilities and 62 facilities for own use, as of the end of 2020. The listed RE projects include those related to hydro, ocean energy, geothermal, wind, solar and biomass.
