DoE awarded 119 renewable energy projects in Visayas

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DoE) awarded 119 renewable energy projects in Visayas region as of end-October this year, since the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 was enacted into law.

Official data provided by DoE-Visayas office showed the awarded energy contracts have a potential capacity of 1,777.17 megawatts (MW) as against a total installed capacity of 1,305.39 MW.

Eduardo L. Amante, chief of the Energy Resource Development and Utility Division, said there had been an increasing interest in renewable energy (RE) exploration in the Visayas.

“Our RE investments here are proponent-driven,” Amante told The FREEMAN yesterday in an interview. Amante meant that proponents first look into the feasibility of renewable power projects before they decide to build them.

Amante said the awarded projects are in various stages of project development. The official added, however, that not all of these may proceed with the construction, which may be influenced by some factors.

Of the total number of awarded renewable energy contracts, 21 are for biomass; 51 for hydro power; 25 for solar; 7 for geothermal; and 15 for wind.

In Cebu, Amante pointed out there are challenges concerning the RE development in the province.

He cited, for instance, the small river systems in Cebu, which minimize the potential for hydro power. The high price of land is also a challenge in developing solar power plant, he said.

But just recently, SunAsia Energy announced it is constructing a 60-megawatt solar power plant, estimated to cost $120 million in Toledo City, Cebu. The plant will occupy around 70 hectares of land with 200,000 solar panels.

The DoE had been calling for the development of more renewable power sources as more than 50% of the country’s energy mix is still dependent on imported fuels.

The National Renewable Energy Plan aims to triple the country’s installed RE capacity to 15,304 by 2030 from 5,438 in 2010.

The NREP also aims to increase RE’s share to the power mix to 30%. (FREEMAN)