Published
November 17, 2016, 10:01 PM By Myrna M. Velasco
Energy Secretary
Alfonso G. Cusi has admitted to the media that there had been “error” in the
draft Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) that was presented recently by his
department to the industry stakeholders.
Nevertheless, he was
quick to add that adjustments and fine-tuning will eventually be done based on
the feedback that they will draw from consultation with the industry players.
“There is an error on
the PEP… in the current ratio, I cannot even determine yet how much is the
share of LNG (liquefied natural gas),” he said.
In the initial
blueprint of the energy plan, it was manifested that coal technology will
continue to dominate until year 2030 with 49.5 percent share and that gas will
just have a marginal share of 8.2 percent by the tail end of the planning
horizon.
But the energy chief
said, gas will be an essential component of the country’s power generation –
given that it can be utilized in the system with flexibility.
“The built-in advantage
of gas is that it is ambidextrous, it can qualify for baseload, mid-merit and
peaking,” he said.
Expansion of the gas
sector in the energy mix is currently a serious policy undertaking for the
Department of Energy (DOE), primarily with planned setting up of LNG import
facilities and final implementation of the long-delayed Bataan-Manila (BatMan)
high pressure gas pipeline.
Purportedly, such will
replace gas supply from the Malampaya field because of its well-anticipated
production decline until the end of its contract in 2024.
Apart from these two
technologies, the energy department is also set on advancing the development of
more massive renewable energy (RE) technologies – and a choice that will turn
more affordable in the future with technology coupling such as battery storage.
Cusi is presenting
about 80-percent baseload supply in the propounded energy mix, but this is a
matter still being weighed carefully by industry stakeholders.
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