Government, private sector push for more indigenous power

Upgrade to High-Speed Internet for only ₱1499/month!

Enjoy up to 100 Mbps fiber broadband, perfect for browsing, streaming, and gaming.

Visit Suniway.ph to learn

Amid mideast crisis

MANILA, Philippines — Top energy officials and private sector leaders have intensified calls for the aggressive expansion of indigenous energy sources to cut reliance on imported fuel and shield the country from global price volatility amid the ongoing oil crisis.

During a recent forum hosted by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said moving beyond the current crisis requires maximizing domestic energy resources, particularly renewables.

“Beyond these challenges lies a critical opportunity to move decisively from crisis response and define a new era of Philippine energy that is secure, sustainable, resilient and people-centered,” Garin said in a keynote address delivered by Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella.

Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan, meanwhile, called for urgent focus on energy storage to strengthen grid stability and ensure reliable supply during peak demand.

“If we had the storage to capture even a portion of that midday surplus and dispatch it during the evening peak, none of that energy would be wasted, and the cushion that failed us the other week would be materially thicker,” Juan said in a video message.

In a panel discussion moderated by The STAR business editor Iris Gonzales, officials from the Department of Energy (DOE), ERC and private sector stakeholders underscored the need to build a more resilient energy system moving forward.

ERC director for market operations service Sharon Montañer emphasized the importance of aligning energy security with the development of a more flexible and resilient power system.

Fuentebella, who leads the DOE’s energy efficiency efforts, said energy resiliency is key to navigating the ongoing global oil crisis.

From the private sector, MGEN Renewables president and CEO Dennis Jordan, Prime CoreGen president and CEO Jose Victor Emmanuel de Dios and Aboitiz Power Corp. vice president for corporate affairs Ronald Francis Suarez called for greater diversification of the country’s energy sources.

For power projects to move forward, however, DivinaLaw senior partner and former DOE undersecretary Jose Layug Jr. said the permitting process must first be streamlined.

“We just need to put in more (power) supply so that we won’t have to face all the problems every summer. And that supply can be done if we facilitate more of the permits,” Layug said.