Wind power capacity target more than doubled

MANILA, Philippines - The National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) is proposing to boost the installation targets for wind power projects by 300 megawatts to bring the total allocation to 500 MW, an NREB official said.

“We are proposing an increase in wind allocation by 300 MW so it will be 500 MW. It’s a proposal because there are a lot of interested players,” said NREB member Ernie Pantangco.

NREB is the advisory body tasked with the effective implementation of renewable energy projects in the country. It is seeking a meeting with Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla to endorse the proposal.

The current installation target for wind is 200 megawatts.

NREB chairman Pedro Maniego Jr. for his part, said total wind projects on the pipeline already exceed 700 MW and can be finished by 2015.

For solar, the Department of Energy has already issued the certification adjusting total solar installation target to 500 MW from 50 MW. The department has already endorsed the matter to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), the power regulator.

Petilla has said there was a need to fill in the capacity gap that was supposed to come in next year, and that the best solution would be the construction of more solar power plants.

The government may also lower the feed-in tariff (FIT) rate for solar to a range of P8.50 to P9.68 per kilowatt-hour.

The FIT regime is a form of incentives for renewable energy players. It offers cost-based compensation to renewable energy players among other perks.

The FIT rate approved by the ERC are as follows: P9.68 per kilowatt-hour for solar; P8.53 per kwh for wind, P6.63 per kwh for biomass and P5.90 per kwh for hydropower projects.