PHL preparing for low-carbon scenario—Cusi to Asean peers
By Lenie Lectura – November 25, 2020
from Business Mirror
In file photo is the 150-MW Burgos Wind Project in Burgos, Ilocos Norte of EDC Burgos Wind Power Corporation (EBWPC)
THE Philippines is preparing for a low-carbon scenario in which coal’s share in the power mix will decrease while renewables and gas will gain momentum, the Department of Energy (DOE) declared at the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations Clean Energy Week (ACEW).
“Coal and oil shares will also continue to decrease due to the use of alternative fuels for transport, among others. This also translates to a power generation mix that shifts from being coal-centered to one where RE (renewable energy), natural gas, and other emerging clean-energy technologies will have increased shares,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi, who attended an online Roundtable Discussion with ministers and top government officials in Southeast Asia, said in a statement Tuesday.
Under the clean energy or low-carbon scenario envisioned by the Philippine government, there will be a slower growth of the total primary energy supply (TPES).
The combined clean energy sources, meanwhile, will improve to reach more than 66 percent of the total generation by 2040.
In line with this, the agency is prioritizing the issuance of the National Renewable Energy Program 2020-2040 to achieve the envisioned target of around 34,000 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity by 2040.
The agency recently approved the updated Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) 2018-2040, which contains the necessary adjustments that the country has to make because of recent global developments, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the energy sector.
“The updated version will help the energy family and our stakeholders better understand what the energy situation will be 20 years from now,” Cusi said.
The updated PEP is meant to increase the production of clean and indigenous sources of energy; to decrease the wasteful utilization of energy through the use of energy efficiency tools and strategies; and ensure the balance among the provision of reliable and reasonably priced energy services, support for economic growth and protection of the environment.
Cusi likewise renewed his commitment to implement Republic Act 9513 or the Philippine RE Law for the remainder of his term as Energy Secretary.
