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WEDNESDAY, 18 JULY 2012 20:46 PAUL ANTHONY A. ISLA / REPORTER
THE Philippines and New Zealand have agreed to step up and push for greater interaction in developing each other’s geothermal resources, Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras said on Wednesday.
“We’re going to bring New Zealand-based geothermal companies closer to local geothermal companies. We are inviting them to see the opportunities here, while they are also inviting us to go look at the opportunities there,” the energy chief said at the sidelines of the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Geothermal Energy Workshop.
Almendras added that New Zealand and the Philippines want to increase their geothermal capacity. “So whatever assistance or investment we can bring into the country will be good. And the Philippines and New Zealand’s agreement will hopefully bring in more investment in the geothermal sector.”
Almendras said he hopes to generate an additional 2,000 megawatts (MW) of generating capacity from the country’s geothermal resources. And New Zealand’s commitment will be helpful in meeting that on an investment and technical perspective, he added. New Zealand, like the Philippines, Almendras said, has the expertise and experience in developing geothermal resources.
“Two heads are better than one, so if we all come together and work, I think we can accelerate the development of geothermal resources in the country,” he added.
Under the National Renewable Energy Program (NREP), the Philippine government targets generation of an additional 1,500 MW from geothermal resources.
Energy Undersecretary Jose Layug Jr. said discussion with New Zealand is aimed at building more competence for personnel at the Department of Energy (DOE).
“We’re looking at scholarships for DOE technical personnel, and I think in the future we will be collaborating more with New Zealand for opportunities not just for investment but also for transfer of technology,” he added.
Layug said the Philippines hopes to surpass the US with additional geothermal capacity.
“In terms of potential, there is still that additional capacity that we can tap. It’s a matter of making sure that these projects will be developed more cost-efficiently since these are smaller in scale and could be expensive. But there could be ways to make sure to carry out the projects more efficiently,” he added.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said New Zealand has world-class expertise in geothermal energy and has long-standing ties with the Philippine geothermal industry. “In a world that seeks renewable-energy sources to meet future demand, this is a natural sector for cooperation between our countries,” he added.
As well as development opportunities in the Philippines and in New Zealand, McCully said, both countries are well placed to develop opportunities around the world, including in Indonesia and South America.
New Zealand’s ties with the Philippines’s geothermal sector date back to its initial development in the 1970s with technical assistance and grants to the Philippine government to develop geothermal energy usage, leading to the commissioning of pioneer plants in Tongonan and Palinpinon, which are still generating power today.
“New Zealand is committed to building strong partnerships with the Philippines and supporting aspirations for growth in this industry,” Hernando Banal, New Zealand trade commissioner to the Philippines, said.
In 2011 NZTE said, 77 percent of New Zealand’s electricity was generated by renewable-energy sources mostly hydro, geothermal, wind and a small amount of biomass.
NZTE added that many of the Philippines’s geothermal engineers have been trained at Auckland University’s Geothermal Institute through grants provided by the New Zealand Aid Program. source
In Photo: President Aquino receives New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully in Malacañang on Wednesday. Accompanying the visitor in his courtesy call were Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Assistant Foreign Secretary for Asia and Pacifi c Aff airs Ma. Theresa Lazaro. The Philippines and New Zealand have been enjoying 46 years of close friendship, increasing partnership and broadening cooperation in the political, economic, security and socio-cultural areas, both at the bilateral, regional and international levels. (Rober Viñas/ Malacañang Photo)
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