Phl renewable energy share drops over decades — expert

Philippine dependence on renewable energy has declined over the decades, from 52% in the 1980s to 25% in 2025, an energy expert said Friday.

Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) Energy Transition Adviser Albert Dalusong highlighted the shift in a recent interview, tracing the country’s historical reliance on hydroelectric and geothermal power.

Hosted by ICSC Energy Economics and Public Policy Adviser Cielo Magno and University of the Philippines law professor Dante Gatmaytan, the one-hour podcast explored how ongoing tensions in the Middle East could affect the Philippines’ energy security.

Dalusong, who also served for more than three decades in the former Ministry of Energy, now Department of Energy, said the country’s renewable energy share was once much higher.

“In the 1970s, the Philippine Energy Plan was considered a model for all developing countries by the World Bank. I started at the Ministry of Energy in 1982, in the Planning Service and by 1984, research showed that 52% of the country’s power generation came from renewable energy — primarily hydroelectric and geothermal,” he explained in Filipino.

Dalusong said there were three primary energy objectives at the time.

“First, the Supply objective. You must have the supply of energy when you need it. Second, Energy Efficiency objective. You must consume energy efficiently, avoiding waste or unnecessary consumption and third, the Environmental objective. To achieve the first two objectives in an environmentally acceptable manner,” he said in Filipino.

When asked whether the Philippines would remain dependent on fossil fuels despite the 1970s energy model, Dalusong recalled the 1986 political transition and its impact on energy policy.

“I remembered in 1986, we had a new government [Aquino administration] and our policy [in energy] has changed. If you look at oil prices in 1986 and 1987, they more or less dropped during that time. It’s like, the importance we placed on imported energy sources, in this case fuel, was reduced,” he said.

Dalusong said coal became more attractive during that period because it was cheaper, more accessible, and did not require domestic exploration.

“And I think that’s when the shift in our policy began. The emphasis on developing and using our indigenous energy sources was reduced. We still pursued oil exploration, which is why we have Nido and the Malampaya Gas project,” he added in Filipino.

The expert also noted how historical oil price shifts influenced policy focus on local energy development and the current status of renewable energy in the country.

“So, at that time, we really intended to develop our own [energy sources], but I think the emphasis weakened when we saw oil prices drop in the mid to late 1980s. Today, we are at 25% renewable energy [in 2025] up from 22% just a few years ago," Dalusong explained in Filipino.

The podcast also examined potential challenges to renewable energy expansion, including climate issues and existing laws, amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

Based in the Philippines, ICSC is a climate and energy policy group that promotes climate-resilient and low-carbon development.