Aquino bats for renewable energy to solve power woes

Manila Bulletin

By GENALYN D. KABILING and HANNAH L. TORREGOZA

December 2, 2010, 7:58pm

MANILA, Philippines — President Benigno S. Aquino III vowed on Thursday to intensify the development and use of renewable sources of energy, such as hydro, solar, and wind power in his determined bid to solve the country’s “increasingly unreliable” power supply.

He said renewable energy will be among the major sources of power in the country in the next decade.

This is in line with a commitment to achieve the government’s target of 100 percent increase in renewable energy capacity within 20 years.

Speaking at the Renewable Energy Conference and Expo in Makati City, the President acknowledged that the use of renewable energy sources reduces the country’s dependence on imported and polluting fossil fuels and increases the nation’s savings in foreign exchange.

“We envision the development of the country’s renewable energy resources as a way of diversifying the country’s power generation fleet with the ultimate view of providing energy security and clean energy for our consumers,” he said.

At present, he said the country ranks next to the United States as the largest supplier of geothermal energy in the world.

“Our other sources are by no means meager. More than 10% of the country’s electricity requirement is supplied by hydropower generation. Moreover, biomass, solar, and wind energy will be among our major sources of energy for the next decade, and we expect that they will account for more than a third of the country’s total energy demand,” he added.

Since most of the renewable energy sources are located outside of urban centers, he said the government would maximize its development and use it as a tool to expand development opportunities in rural areas.

“With the help of private sector and funding institutions, we shall endeavor to take renewable energy to our most isolated communities,” he said. He promised to give “incentives and guarantees as needed” to the private sector interested in renewable energy development.

President Aquino admitted that the country’s power situation is “at a critical juncture,” saying high power demand, retirement of power plants, and absence of investments in new energy infrastructure in the recent years have made the country’s power supply unreliable.

He said the government’s energy initiatives are consistent with the National Renewable Energy Program that aims the Philippines to become the number one geothermal energy producer in the world, to double the country's hydropower capacity, and to expand the respective contributions of biomass, solar, and ocean energy to the energy mix.

The NREP was established by the government to achieve a 100 percent increase in renewable energy capacity within 20 years. The program also seeks to increase the non-power contribution of renewable energy to the energy mix equivalent to 10 million barrels of fuel oil in the next 10 years.

The President said this shift in energy sources was a hard task to do alone and sought the cooperation of the private sector.

“I look forward to working closely with the private sector in pursuing the implementation of existing energy conservation programs, in addressing potential issues and concerns, and in rationalizing energy demand consumption," he said.

“We are listening to your concerns, and we will attend to them. We are here to work together and not against each other. We will give you incentives and guarantees as needed, within a framework that takes into consideration our mutual desire for a win-win solution for all parties,” he added.

President Aquino attended the Renewable Energy Conference and Expo despite having a bout with a light case of flu.

When reporters tried to seek an ambush interview after the event, his close aide signaled that the President was sick and could not grant any interview.

Later in the Palace, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda confirmed that the President is sick but his illness was not serious.

Meanwhile, Interim Energy Secretary Rene Almendras was urged on Thursday to fast-track the development of renewable energy in the Philippines in an effort to bring down the cost of power for the benefit of household and businesses in the country.

Almendras, whose confirmation was deferred by the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) had earlier told senators he would ensure making power both widely available and affordable under his watch.

But Sen. Edgardo Angara said he hopes Almendras would live up to his promise, saying the Department of Energy’s proposed measures to significantly expand energy access are remedial steps toward the ultimate goal of making the country energy competitive.