posted February 28, 2016 at 11:10 pm by Alena Mae S. Flores
The Energy Department endorsed seven
solar power projects with a combined capacity of 153.93 megawatts to the Energy
Regulatory Commission.
The department sought a certificate
of compliance from the regulator that will make the projects eligible to avail
of the feed-in tariff rate under the second wave of solar installation target.
The department, through the
Renewable Energy Management Bureau, said in a statement over the weekend, it
was ready to validate the projects of renewable energy developers rushing to
meet the March 15 deadline.
The ERC earlier approved a P8.69 per
kilowatt-hour rate for 450 MW of solar projects under the second wave of
installation target.
The procedure for the certificate of
endorsement, or COE, for FIT eligibility is outlined in a department circular.
The circular tasked the department
to validate “successful commissioning” and affirm the date of start of
commercial operations within 15 working days, and issue the COE-FIT eligibility
on a first-come-first-served basis.
The department said renewable energy
developers could request for validation at 80 percent electro-mechanical
completion of the project.
It said only RE developers with
complete documentary requirements for solar energy projects, including a valid
renewable energy service contract and confirmed declaration of commerciality,
should be considered and be required to send a formal letter addressed to the
energy secretary for final validation.
The validation activities will be
based on the approved DoC, particularly on the designed development scheme, and
any deviation is subject to prior approval of the department. Only projects
which are 100 percent commissioned and in commercial operation upon final
validation will be eligible for COE-FIT.
The department said it would issue
the feed-in tariff eligibility until the full subscription of the installation
target. The certificate of eligibility indicates the installed capacity
that will be qualified for the feed-in tariff rate, while the actual date of
commercial operations serves as the basis for the start of FIT charge.
“We are committed to a transparent
award of the COE-FIT Eligibility and remind all RE developers to observe the
procedures under the existing guidelines,” Energy Secretary Zenaida
Monsada said.
The department increased the
installation target for solar to 500 MW from 50 MW to ensure availability of
power supply during the dry periods of 2015 and 2016.
The projects included in the
first wave of the 50-MW solar installation target enjoy a higher electricity
rate of P9.68 per kWh.
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