By Lenie Lectura - January 25, 2019
THE Department of Energy (DOE) on
Thursday cited ongoing activities to ensure the sufficiency of energy supply
following concerns raised by former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile of a possible
looming energy crisis.
“The Department of Energy
appreciates the advocacy of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile,” said
the agency when sought comment.
The DOE said it continues to look
for ways to build capacity for future requirements under the “Build, Build,
Build” (BBB) program of the Duterte administration.
Among the efforts of the DOE are:
- The crafting of policies for the further development and utilization of renewable- energy (RE) sources;
- Evaluating the possibility of harnessing nuclear energy;
- The ongoing amendment of the minimum inventory requirement for oil companies;
- The ongoing push for the establishment of a liquefied natural gas facility; and
- The energy efficiency and conservation policy.
These efforts, the agency said, are
meant to make the Philippines energy secure and equitable in the midst of
ever-growing demand. “We need to generate inclusive and sustainable economic
development and make the country globally competitive,” the DOE said.
The DOE, through its Nuclear Energy
Program Implementing Organization, has also been actively working on assessing
the feasibility of including nuclear power into the country’s energy mix.
It is openly considering the
feasibility of introducing nuclear power in the race to provide uninterrupted,
secure, reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity throughout the
archipelago.
“We are technology neutral because
we want to explore all possible ways to bring affordable, secure and reliable
power to Filipinos throughout the entire archipelago. I believe this is the
time for us to take a leap and include nuclear power into our energy mix. We wouldn’t
want to wait until we are all crying for power before we actually do
something,” said Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi.
Under the Philippine Energy Plan
2017-2040, a technology neutral policy is being pursued as the country seeks to
attain energy security in the midst of growing energy demand.
Also, the full implementation of RE
policies was undertaken last year. These include the issuance of circulars on
Green Energy Option Program and Renewable Portfolio Standards.
For the natural gas industry, the
agency has been actively attracting potential investments with the
implementation of the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Regulation.
“In addition, the DOE remains
committed to promoting energy efficiency measures to improve the country’s
energy security,” it added.
Enrile urged government leaders to
act fast to address what he described as a looming energy crisis, which may be
worsened by the energy demands of the massive BBB program under the Duterte
administration.
“We do not have any source of hydrocarbon
energy in the country except Malampaya. If a war happens in Russia or in the
Middle East or in Africa or in Latin America that will affect the supply of
crude, what do you think will happen here? In one week’s time, we will not have
enough supply of power,” Enrile said.
If he could be able to secure a
comeback to the Senate, the former Senate President said that he would focus on
the creation of sources of energy to ensure the Philippines would not be
totally dependent on imported fuels for the bulk of its power
requirements.
“We must make sure that there would
be enough supply for all our economic activities amid a surge in the costs of
oil or even the lack of it,” said Enrile.
Presently, the Malampaya Natural Gas
Facility, which provides 30 percent of Luzon’s total supply of power, is
estimated to run out of gas reserves by 2024.
The DOE is pinning its hopes on the
new contracting exploration program in its pursuit for energy independence and
sustainability. It launched in November last year the Philippine
Conventional Energy Contracting Program (PCECP).
According to the DOE, the PCECP is a
new mechanism as it offers a two-pronged approach unlike the earlier Philippine
Energy Contracting Rounds wherein investors can only bid in areas determined by
the government for exploration.
It is a new and transparent
petroleum service contract awarding mechanism that allows the government to
develop and utilize indigenous petroleum resources under a service contract
with qualified local and international exploration companies.
The PCECP also allows investors to
nominate their own areas of interest. In this mode, applications could be
submitted at any time of the year and would be subjected to a 60-day challenge
period. Awarding of service contracts would be done either through the
competitive selection process or via nomination.
“The program was enhanced to encourage
stakeholders to invest, explore, develop and produce the nation’s indigenous
energy resources,” Cusi said. “It is our intensified approach to harness these resources for
long-term energy security and energy self-sufficiency,” he added.
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