Lessen Phl dependence on conventional fuels, PBBM asked

Consumer group Power for People Coalition (P4P) appealed to the Marcos administration to develop concrete plans to reduce the country’s dependence on conventional fuels.

In a press statement in reaction to the President’s third State of the Nation Address (SoNA), the group emphasized that the strategic shift is crucial to enable a smooth transition towards the adoption of cleaner, renewable energy sources.

“While we welcome the President’s acknowledgment of the many problems that plague our power system, we’re concerned that much was said with no real change being on the agenda,” P4P said on Tuesday.

Culprits

“The President cannot simply mention the rampant outages we had to suffer without pinpointing the coal and gas facility culprits that primarily caused them. Failing to hold them accountable means PBBM is giving a free pass to the companies that brought detriment to millions of consumers,” it added.

In his report to the Filipino people, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. cited the recent completion of transmission lines necessary to boost the country’s power services.

Amend EPIRA

Notably, Marcos also called Congress to review and consider amending the more than two-decades-old Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001.

The legislative action aims to explore potential modifications to the existing law so that it may keep up with the changing energy landscape while helping facilitate lower electricity costs for Filipino consumers.

“Indeed, a comprehensive revisiting of EPIRA is long overdue — and, on this end, addressing the blatant disregard for consumers’ welfare in the sources of power we use and in the way our power sector is governed, alongside undue preservation of corporate interests, is of utmost urgency,” P4P said.

China leading emitter of gases

Based on the 2023 report from the European Commission — Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, China retained its position as the leading emitter of greenhouse gases, contributing a substantial 29.2 percent of global emissions.

Meanwhile, Indonesia held the seventh spot with a share of 2.3 percent, while the Philippines’ contribution amounted to a relatively modest 0.5 percent of the world’s emissions.

As of January, China’s installed coal power plant capacity stands at an impressive 1,136.7 gigawatts (GW), dwarfing that of Indonesia and the Philippines.

Indonesia’s coal power plant capacity trails behind at 51.6 GW, while the Philippines’ capacity is significantly lower, at just 12.1 GW, according to the Global Energy Monitor Report.

Additionally, in 2021 alone, China generated 5,417,848 gigawatt hours (GWh) from coal, Indonesia generated 189,683 GWh while the Philippines only generated 65,052 GWh.

Lower Philippine figures

Even with the increase to 69,472 GWh in 2023, the Philippines’ figures remain significantly lower than those of China and Indonesia.

According to Department of Energy data, the country’s total installed on-grid power capacity at the end of 2023 was 28,291 MW, of which 43.9 percent (12,406 MW) came from coal-fired power plants.