DoE upbeat on adding 10,000 MW to supply

By Jordeene Sheex Lagare – June 27, 2018
from The Manila Times

THE Department of Energy (DoE) on Tuesday expressed confidence that it would add about 10,000 megawatts (MW) by 2021 to bolster the Philippines’ power supply.

On the sidelines of the 6th E-Power Mo Conference at the department’s headquarters in Taguig City, Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said that although the targeted 10,000-MW capacity could be attained, power reserves remained somewhat thin.

“We want more power plants to come in immediately,” he added.

Based on the DoE’s Power Development Plan 2016–2040, peak demand is expected to increase from 12,213 MW in 2015 to 49,287 MW in 2040 in a high gross domestic product (GDP) growth scenario.

“This increase is translated to a 6-percent annual average growth rate from 2016 to 2040. On a per grid basis, Mindanao is projected to have the highest annual average growth at 8 percent, followed by Visayas at 7 percent, and Luzon at 5 percent,” it said.

Department data showed that total capacity of the country’s committed power plants is 8,618.3 MW: 6,511 MW in Luzon, 774.9 MW in the Visayas, and 1,332.4 MW in Mindanao.

Most of the plants expected to be commissioned are coal-fired ones with a total capacity of 6,325 MW. A natural-gas facility in Luzon would add 650 MW.

A solar facility in Luzon is expected to add 92.9 MW, while renewable energy (RE) plants are seen to produce 1,559.8 MW.

In its 2017 Power Statistics Report, DoE said coal remained the country’s top source of energy, with an installed generating capacity of 8,049 MW, 8.5-percent higher than 7,419 MW in 2016.

RE rose 1.7 percent to 7,079 MW from 6,958 MW; oil, up 14.9 percent to 4,153 MW from 3,616 MW; and natural gas, up 3,447 MW from 3,431 MW.

Power generation also increased by 3.9 percent to 94,370 gigawatt hours (GWh) from 90,798 GWh in 2016.