NREB pushes more reforms in renewable energy

By Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star) | Updated July 22, 2016 - 12:00am

http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/07/22/1605224/nreb-pushes-more-reforms-renewable-energy

ANILA, Philippines - The National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) has laid down several proposals to further development in the renewable energy (RE) sector.

NREB is the advisory body tasked with the effective implementation of renewable energy (RE) projects in the country.

During the start of the 4th Annual Philippines Power and Electricity Week Wednesday, NREB chairman Pete Maniego said the advisory body has proposed lower feed-in tariff (FIT) rates for solar and wind technology amounting to P7.66 per kilowatt hour (kwh) and P6.97 per kwh, respectively.

These rates will cover the proposed installation targets of 500 megawatts (MW) each for wind and solar, he said.

Earlier, the advisory body said solar FIT rate would be between P7 and P8 per kwh while wind would be between P6 and P7 per kwh.

Wind technology had a rate of P8.53 per kwh in the first round and P7.40 per kwh in the second round. Meanwhile, solar rated P9.68 per kwh in the first round and P8.69 per kwh in the second round.

Maniego also said NREB also made a pitch to formulate a FIT rate for the emerging ocean power and have 50 MW for the low enthalpy geothermal technology.

He said as long as there’s no finality on the FIT rate for ocean technology, that industry would not move.

Another proposal to spark more RE developments is increasing the maximum installation capacity per site and simplifying the procedures for net metering, Maniego said.

Under the net metering program, electricity end-users with renewable energy installations — such as solar, wind or biomass — not exceeding 100 kw can sell electricity they generate in excess of what they can consume directly to their distribution utility (DU).

Maniego said finalizing and issuing the rules for the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) should also be made within 2016.

The RPS mandates power industry players to produce and source a certain percentage of electricity from RE sources.

Before the Aquino administration bowed out, the Department of Energy published the draft circular for RPS rules, which will cover all distribution utilities, licensed retail electricity suppliers (RES), local RES, suppliers of last resort, generating companies and authorized distributors in economic zones.

NREB also recommended the implementation of carbon tax on imported fossil fuel to reduce FIT and RPS support and to support climate change mitigation and adaptation programs, as well as the passage of an energy conservation and efficiency law, to further RE development, Maniego said.