DoE eyes OSW, taps USAID
The first stage of CREZ, that finished does not include offshore wind and floating solar and other bodies of water
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The first stage of CREZ, that finished does not include offshore wind and floating solar and other bodies of water
Due to the lack of financial allocation, the Department of Energy or DoE is turning to the United States Agency for International Development or USAID to bankroll the inclusion of offshore wind or OSW and floating solar energy, among other new technologies, into the country's competitive renewable energy zones or CREZ.
In a recent interview with reporters, Assistant Secretary Mylene C. Capongcol said these new power technologies should be included in the CREZ so that its integration into the grid will be efficient.
"The first stage of CREZ, that finished does not include offshore wind and floating solar and other bodies of water. So the second stage, hopefully, will be supported by a USAID grant because we don't have the budget here," Capongcol said.
"We will talk officially with USAID but we have sent our official request so we will just have a meeting about what is the scope of work and the timeline," she added.
OSW potential high
Based on the Philippines OSW Roadmap launched in 2022, the country has about 178 gigawatts or GW of OSW potential.
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To date, the DoE has awarded a total of 79 OSW Contracts with a total potential capacity of 61.931 GW, spread mainly North of Luzon, West of Metro Manila, North and South of Mindoro, Panay and Guimaras Strait.
Meanwhile, in terms of floating solar energy ventures, one of the latest developments was the Laguna Lake Development Authority's move to offer 2,000 hectares of the Laguna de Bay for floating solar projects. Of these, 800 hectares were taken by ACEN Corp.
Half, or 1,000 hectares were leased by renewable energy firm SunAsia Energy, which aims to develop a 1300-MW facility for $1.2 billion. The remaining 200 hectares, on the other hand, were allocated to Singapore-based firm Vena Energy.
Capongcol reiterated that the CREZ project will significantly complement the government's drive to augment the country's supply of clean energy.
By proactively focusing transmission expansion to these resource areas, clean energy generation development obstacles such as transmission access, energy curtailment, land permitting, and regulatory barriers will be resolved. Thus, reducing the risk for private players who will invest in the sector.
Relatedly, the DoE official bared that the 2023-2050 Philippine Energy Plan or PEP will also highlight the adoption of modern technologies, smart grid systems, and demand-side management to bring down overall energy consumption and cut down greenhouse gas emissions.
The government set the target of a 35 percent share of renewable energy in the country's energy mix by 2035 and increased it further to 50 percent by 2040.
However, it is still notable that despite an aggressive stance on clean energy utilization, the Philippines continues to heavily rely on coal.
Coal, which is cheaper than other forms of power but more detrimental to the environment, is still the highest contributor to the power generation mix at nearly 60 percent. Renewable energy only takes a little over 20 percent of the mix.
