THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) said that the latest edition of the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP) covering the 2020-2040 period is nearing completion pending the results of a public hearing on adjustments to the yearly renewable portfolio standards (RPS) increment.
“We are in the final stage of the NREP. We will just await the (public consultation) on the adjustment on the RPS annual increments as this will enable us to meet the 35% RE share in the total generation mix by 2030,” DoE Renewable Energy Management Bureau Director Mylene C. Capongcol told BusinessWorld by e-mail late Wednesday.
The public consultation for the revised RPS increment is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 9 via Zoom videoconference. The hearing will run from 1 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
The RPS program requires distribution utilities to source an agreed portion of their supply from eligible RE facilities. The yearly RPS increment is currently at 1%, but the National Renewable Energy Board recommended an increase to at least 2.52% by 2023 to meet the country’s “aspirational” RE targets.
According to a draft circular posted on the DoE’s website this week, the department hopes to increase the yearly minimum level of electricity contracted from RE developers to 2.52% beginning 2023 for mandated participants in on-grid areas. At such a rate of increase, the Philippines will hit a renewable energy (RE) share of 36.96% in 2030 and 55.8% in 2040.
The NREP details the framework and building blocks needed to help the Philippines attain its RE goals as required under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008. — Angelica Y. Yang