DOE picks up pace in renewable energy contract award

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) has picked up pace in the award of renewable energy service contracts (RESCs) by clearing 42 projects at the start of 2016.

The DOE said in a statement these projects, which were facilitated through the Renewable Energy Management Bureau, have a potential capacity of 1,700 megawatts (MW).

Bulk or 26 contracts are under solar power technology, of which most are located in Luzon.

Nine are hydropower projects, of which six are located in Luzon, two in Visayas and one in Mindanao.

Four are wind facilities – two each in Ilocos Norte and Negros Occidental – and three are biomass power plants spread across the three main island regions.

The DOE said these projects are on top of the additional total potential capacity of 12,128 MW recorded in November 2015. The agency had only awarded one RESC that month.

The ramp up in RESC awarding is in pursuit of fulfilling international commitments and promoting indigenous sustainable energy, the agency noted.

“We are committed to increase our RE capacity and maintain a minimum of 30 percent share in the power generation mix in the coming years,” DOE Secretary Zenaida Monsada said.

With the new approved contracts, the DOE called on all concerned government agencies and local government units to extend utmost assistance to the project proponents to fast track the timely realization of these vital RE projects.

If all these projects are aggregated and realized, the country’s installed capacity is projected to reach up to about 20,000 MW by 2030, higher than the initial National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) target of 15,304 MW.

The DOE also noted the country will be able to achieve its undertaking to triple installed RE capacity by 2030, reflecting its 21st Conference of the Parties pledge and proactively responding to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s aspiration of doubling RE capacities of member-economies from 2010 level by 2030.