July 22, 2019 | 10:40 pm
THE
Department of Energy (DoE) said it will further encourage energy efficiency and
conservation by creating a committee that will formulate the guidelines for the
accreditation of energy service companies, or ESCOs.
In a department order,
Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi created a panel to be led by the assistant
director of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB) as the chair of
accreditation committee.
“The Committee shall
formulate the guidelines on the accreditation of ESCOs which shall be subject
to approval of the Secretary,” he said.
“The Committee shall
conduct the accreditation process based on the approved accreditation
guidelines and shall endorse to the Secretary, through the Director of EUMB,
the application, as evaluated, for approval and issuance of Certificates,” he
added.
The members of the
panel are the division chiefs of the DoE’s general legal services, power
compliance, and energy efficiency and conservation division, along with the
section chief of the energy management advisory service sector.
Sought for details on
DO2019-07-0013, the DoE communications department said the order was “modified
and enhanced” by Section 13 of Republic Act No. 11285 or “An Act
Institutionalizing Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Enhancing the Efficient
Use of Energy, and Granting Incentives to Energy Efficiency and Conservation
Projects.”
Among others, the law
authorizes the DoE to strengthen the existing ESCO certification system.
“There are currently
consultations with stakeholders on the draft EE&C [energy efficiency and
conservation] IRR [implementing rules and regulations], particularly of those
DoE-accredited ESCOs,” the DoE said. “To date, IRR development is still
on-going.”
The DoE also clarified
that there is no need for existing ESCOs to apply for the renewal of their
accreditation unless it expires on or before the date of issuance of the
guidelines.
Alexander Ablaza,
president of the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance, Inc. (PE2), said his
group was preparing an industry position on the accreditation guidelines and
other “thematic areas” relating to the IRR.
“And we hope to have an
industry position on the entire IRR by month-end, at the earliest,” he said.
PE2 has recently
re-organized its policy committee, the composition of which was relayed to the
DoE. The alliance is a non-stock, non-profit organization of energy efficiency
market stake-holders. — Victor V. Saulon
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