TAGUIG CITY – Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi is actively pushing for consumer-oriented policy initiatives that would advance the Philippine renewable energy (RE) sector as part of the Department’s Nine-Point Energy Agenda.
He emphasized that the DOE has been steering its efforts toward the successful attainment of the optimal energy mix that would help ease electricity rates for the Filipino people.
“The RE sector has evolved over the past several years, making it rife with various investment opportunities. In this regard, the DOE has formulated policies such as the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) and the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) to give it the much needed boost and jumpstart further RE activities,” Sec. Cusi stated.
Under the leadership of Secretary Cusi, the RPS rules for On-Grid, Off-Grid, and the GEOP have been developed and established to promote reliable and sustainable RE resources.
RENEWABLE PORTFOLIO STANDARDS
The RPS for On-Grid Areas under Department Circular No. DC2017-12-0015 was promulgated on 22 December 2017 and took effect on 31 December 2017. It is a policy mechanism under Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 mandating Distribution Utilities (DUs) and retail electricity suppliers to source or produce at least one percent of mandated participants’ Net Electricity Sales of their power supply from eligible RE facilities.
On the other hand, the RPS Rules for Off-Grid Areas under Department Circular No. DC2018-08-0024 was promulgated on 24 August 2018 and took effect on 29 September 2018. It intends to increase the use of RE to optimize the power supply mix in off-grid areas that are usually served by expensive diesel plants. Thus, the RPS will rationalize the efficient use of the universal charge for missionary electrification (UC-ME) and improve self-efficiency in power generation through the integration of RE in the supply mix in off-grid and missionary areas.
To date, there are a total of 12 Information, Education, and Communication Campaigns or Roll-Out Programs conducted for the Mandated Participants, user-trainings on the Simplified Planning Tool (SPT) to guide them in determining the optimal supply mix, and hands-on trainings on SPT for RPS On-Grid and Off-Grid Areas.
GREEN ENERGY PROGRAM
The GEOP under Department Circular No. DC2018-07-0019 which was promulgated on 18 July 2018 and took effect on 22 August 2018, is a voluntary RE policy mechanism which provides end-users the option to choose RE resources for their energy requirements.
To ensure the compliance and successful implementation thereof, the template of the GEOP Supply Contract will be presented to serve as guidance to GEOP participants. Moreover, the Department is set to conduct public consultations on the Operating Permit for RE Suppliers on the following dates and venues:
- June 18, 2019 Cebu City
- June 27, 2019 Davao City
- July 11, 2019 Batangas City
- July 25, 2019 Clark Pampanga
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