Siguil Hydro Power Plant in Sarangani On-Schedule to deliver Renewable Energy in 2022

by Philippine Resources - October 18, 2021

The Alsons Power group’s 14.5 mega-watt (MW) ₱ 4.5 billion run- of- river hydroelectric power plant at the Siguil River basin in Maasim, Sarangani Province is on- track to begin operations in 2022 to provide a source of renewable power to key areas of Mindanao.

The photo shows ongoing work on the plant’s powerhouse that will contain the hydropower turbine and generator set which will produce electricity using water from the Siguil River. It will also house the power facility’s control Room and offices for administration, operations and maintenance.

Alsons Power- Mindanao’s firs private sector power generator plans to develop at least seven more run of river hydro power facilities in different parts of Mindanao and Negros Occidental.  The group currently operates four power facilities in Mindanao with a total generating capacity of 468 MW serving over 8 million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces.

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Philippine Resources - October 18, 2021

Faster approval process for renewable energy plants sought

Photo credit: SMA Solar Technology - Catalagan Solar Farm A lawmaker on Monday appealed to the Department of Energy (DOE) to expedite the process of approvals for power plants, especially for renewable energy (RE), as the possibility of “energy crunch” looms due to the impact of oil price hikes. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said the possible “energy crunch”, or a rise in power and fuel costs, by mid-2022 can cause major problems for countries like the Philippines that import non-renewables for its energy needs, as it could dampen economic recovery. “The world is facing what could be a year of price hikes on coal, oil, natural gas, and other non-renewable energy sources. We are facing a confluence of factors. Oil is back where it was pre-pandemic. Natural gas is at all-time highs,” Salceda said. In response to disruptions and price hikes in fossil fuels, he recommended that the country diversify its energy portfolio quickly. “RE is just 24 percent of our energy sources, when we are both a net importer of fossil fuels, and an excellent location for all sorts of RE. One problem appears to me to be the approval process,” he said. He noted that the Renewable Energy Law imposes much more requirements on RE players than on traditional fossil fuel plants, which tend to discourage rather than encourage RE power plants. “We may need to review the Renewable Energy Law to see how we can expedite approval processes. The pre-development stage also tends to be long, up to three years, so we have to see how we can move quicker with that stage,” Salceda said. He said the ideal mix should be at least 40 percent renewable energy. “Our international commitment is to get that up to 35 percent by 2030, but we should do ourselves better by aiming for 40 percent, since almost all of our fossil fuels are imported,” Salceda said. Salceda also suggested that DOE should be a more regular part of discussions on the country’s economic recovery. “I’ve seen the national employment recovery strategy (NERS) and it says nothing about new power plants, which we sorely need, and which will definitely create new jobs. It’s not even in the National Employment Recovery task force,” he said. He said approving the creation of pending power plant applications will create new jobs. “You also need cheap power to create jobs. Moving forward, I hope the DOE is part of discussions on our economic recovery. Power costs remain an investor concern and a dampener on economic recovery,” he said. By Filane Mikee Cervantes   Article courtesy of Philippine News Agency

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Philippine Resources - November 15, 2021

New RE plan targets 35% share of power generation by 2030

Photo credit: PhilStar The Philippines' proposed National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) 2020-2040 is setting a target of 35 percent share of renewable energy (RE) in the power generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent share by 2040. This was bared by Director Mylene C. Capongcol, OIC of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Renewable Energy Management Bureau, who in a recent online presentation acknowledged that instead of growing, the share of RE in the power generation mix has actually declined. She noted that in 2008, the year the Renewable Energy Act was passed, the share of RE was about 34 percent. Now it is down to 21 percent, or 21,609 gigawatt-hours (GWh), out of a total 101,756 GWh of power generated. The government is looking to revert the share of RE to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040 under the updated NREP, Capongcol said. The NREP sets the roadmap for achieving the country's RE goals as required by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. Republic Act No. 9513, or the Renewable Energy Act, provides the framework for the development, utilization, and commercialization of RE sources, defined as resources that can be replenished regularly and are available indefinitely. These include biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, ocean energy, hydropower, and other emerging RE technologies. The Act affirms the government’s commitment to accelerate the utilization of RE resources in the country to reduce harmful emissions and achieve economic development while protecting the health and environment. The transition to RE from carbon-intensive energies has become even more urgent in light of the massive destruction being wrought by climate change and uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions not just in the country but on a global scale. Capongcol, during the webinar, said the proposed NREP will be released soon. The updated plan seeks to help attain energy security, contribute to sustainable development, counter climate change, provide capability building, and secure inclusive growth for the country. To achieve the targets under the updated NREP 2020-2040, she said that while there have been a number of policies, initiatives, and programs that were developed and issued since 2011, “this is not enough.” “There are still a lot of improvements, a lot of new policies, emerging ones, that will support renewable energy development” to enable the country to meet its goals of self-sufficiency and cleaner energy," she said. She added that the DOE currently has innovative programs that are looking at the potentials of hydrogen, fusion, offshore wind, tidal energy, and other technologies. The DOE is also working on an expanded solar rooftop program and the improvement of solid waste management, while at the same time drafting a policy on geothermal energy development. Meanwhile, Jay Layug, president of Developers of Renewable Energy for Advancement, sought further improvements in the sector, citing the need in particular to upgrade the power infrastructure for RE such as building more power plants and improving transmission lines and distribution facilities. “Demand for power continues to grow and in the meantime supply is a problem,” he said, pointing out that many power plants in the country are at least 15 years old and starting to deteriorate. To solve these issues, Layug said the national government and local government units must address the challenges to private sector investment, including restrictive government regulations, rigid process for offtake agreements, numerous requirements for permits and licenses, and a lack of integration in government support. He also pressed for the pursuit of policy reform, particularly by declaring renewables as the preferred energy resource, to reduce the importation of fossil fuel and vulnerability to price volatility. His other recommendations included strengthening public-private partnerships; creating a one-stop-shop for RE; simplifying the rules for deployment of personnel, vessels, machinery, equipment spare parts and materials; and resolving inter-agency coordination issues. In the same webinar by the Liveable Cities Challenge Philippines, British Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils, in her message highlighted the importance of utilizing RE in the country. “The transition to clean and renewable energy sources, such as geothermal, hydro, wind and solar, which are already abundant in the Philippines, will help end the dependence on expensive imported fuel and lower electricity costs especially for lower-income, climate-vulnerable Filipino families,” Beaufils said.   Article courtesy of the Philippine News Agency

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Philippine Resources - March 21, 2023

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