(Taguig City). To boost wider use of clean energy in the Philippines, the Department of Energy (DOE) supported the first-ever Philippine Clean Energy Summit which opened Thursday (13 October) at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, in a speech delivered by DOE Usec. Jesus Cristino P. Posadas, said “With the country’s industrialization thrust, there is a need for cheaper energy to fuel the economy in addition to the challenge of reducing our CO2 emissions.”

Following the DOE’s review of the energy and power mix, the government has embarked on fuel diversification that envisions achieving energy security, but with preference for cleaner fuel; reducing dependence on fossil fuels; and working towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Specifically, the DOE is moving towards the realization of its goal to expand renewable energy capacity in power generation by 2030.

The DOE has also formulated the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C) Roadmap, with assistance from the EU-Switch Asia, to step up its goal of GHG reduction. The main objective of the roadmap is to create an energy-efficient Philippines across all economic sectors, and to make EE&C a “way of life” for all energy consumers.

Meanwhile, looking at all viable alternative energy sources, Sec. Cusi said, "The DOE is evaluating the use of nuclear energy and its possible contribution to the energy mix. But, initial steps have to be made first, such as the establishment of a Nuclear Energy Program Implementation Organization (NEPIO), creation of a National Policy and Program on Nuclear Energy and even extensive public consultations to identify the public’s concerns or reservation on nuclear energy utilization."

To expedite and realize all of these energy programs, “We stress the importance of the DOE’s proposal that all energy projects be declared as ‘Projects of National Significance’ to further the development of renewable energy and EE&C in the country,” said Sec. Cusi. "This will resolve permitting backlogs and incentive concerns."

Participants in the Summit were energy efficiency leaders and visionaries, government officials, business executives, policy experts and stakeholders across the energy sector.

The Summit was a collaboration between the Asia-Pacific Basin for Energy Strategies (APBest) and Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2).

The DOE remains committed to ensuring reliable, stable, sustainable, secure and reasonably priced electricity to the public by creating an in-depth understanding of the alternative paths concerning the Philippine’s energy supply chain.

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