Trade chief sees energy as backbone of industry

MANILA, Philippines — Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual emphasized the importance of the energy sector in driving industry developments in the country.

During a meeting with Dutch firm BlueCap Hydro, Pascual affirmed the continued support of the Philippine government in setting up a manufacturing facility for micro grid power generators in the country.

He also emphasized the importance of the energy sector as a backbone for establishing and sustaining industry value chains and the main driver for industry development.

“As we aim to fill up value chain gaps and increase value-added activities in the country, the energy sector plays a vital role in providing sufficient, stable, and secured energy to strategic industries that we target to locate in the country,” Pascual said.

BlueCap, a leading manufacturer of innovative and integrated micro hydropower generators and an initiator and co-developer of micro hydropower projects, was represented by its CEO and founder Duco Wansink and commercial director and co-founder Damiano Piacenza.

BlueCap Hydro confirmed its contract with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to deploy 50x50 kilowatt micro-hydropower plants in the Philippines. The project aims to provide off-grid energy to run irrigation pumps and provide post-harvest value-added activities such as drying and cooling of agricultural produce.

During the Philippine Business Forum on green energy and digital technologies in Brussels, Belgium, Pascual recognized Europe’s significant investments in renewable energy research, development, as well as education.

“By partnering with European institutions, we can enhance our capabilities in renewable energy research, development, and training, as well as in other fields. This collaboration will empower our workforce and academic institutions to contribute to the green energy sector, fostering innovation and mutual growth,” Pascual said.

“With the Philippines partnering with the EU, we can expedite renewable energy growth, enhance energy security, and contribute to global climate change mitigation,” he said.

Pascual recognized the EU’s successful implementation of renewable energy policies, saying this will be instrumental in accelerating the energy transition in the Philippines.

He stressed that the shift to green energy presents not only an environmental imperative, but also a remarkable economic opportunity.

“Our country also has vast potential in the green energy sector, thanks to abundant renewable resources like solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal power. The Philippines has close to 246 gigawatts (GW) of untapped renewable energy. It has the world’s third-largest geothermal capacity,”Pascual said.

He said the Philippines is also well positioned for solar energy, as well as tidal energy, noting that the country has identified eight areas to harness tidal energy with a potential of up to 170 gigawatts (GW) of capacity.

“Aligning our standards with European requirements can improve access to Philippine green energy products and services, facilitating partnerships and expanding export potential in the global clean energy value chains,” Pascual said.

Apart from BlueCap Hydro, Pascual also met with Business Connect, a Dutch consulting company focused on setting up startup ecosystems worldwide. The company has successfully established startup communities in the Netherlands and Taiwan.

“They are now working towards establishing a similar ecosystem in the Philippines through a collaboration with Techshake, Asia’s most active Philippine-based Startup Ecosystem Builder that creates thousands of connections and opportunities for startups,” according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

During the meeting, Pascual praised Business Connect for their role in fostering startup communities and looks forward to their upcoming trade mission to the Philippines in October.

Together with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (DCCP) and in coordination with the PTIC-Brussels, Business Connect is leading a trade mission from the Netherlands to the Philippines on Oct. 9 to 12, which will be composed of Dutch startups and other companies involved in high-tech, agricultural technology, and water sectors.

“We are looking forward to your visit in the Philippines as you work in organizing a trade mission to our country. I would like to emphasize that one of the top priorities of the DTI under my leadership is to create an enabling environment for startups through the Startup Act which was signed into law on 26 April 2019,” Pascual said.

Republic Act 11337, also known as the Innovative Startup Act, aims to strengthen, promote, and develop an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture in the Philippines. It focuses on providing benefits and removing constraints to encourage the establishment and operation of innovative new enterprises and businesses.

Pascual also met with Xinyx Semiconductor Design Services, Inc., a pioneer integrated circuit (IC) design solutions house based in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

The company started in 2007 with only six employees and since then, it has grown to 348 employees with a branch in Cagayan de Oro and in Eindhoven, Netherlands.

During the meeting, Xinyx Semicon president Charade Avondo shared their plans to establish a base in the Netherlands to cater to companies in need of IC design services. They also expressed their interest in hiring more Filipino engineers from top technical schools, colleges, and universities through collaborations.