By Jordeene B. Lagare June 29, 2020
THE Department of Energy (DoE) is
crafting a policy to shore up the use of geothermal energy as part of efforts
to shore up renewable energy (RE) in the Philippines.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has
directed his team to draft a formal directive that would contain initiatives
and guidelines on how to promote geothermal energy development and increase its
utilization, as said resource is indigenous to the country.
“I would like to issue an order to
really look deeply and comprehensively into how we can develop geothermal. I
have been really thinking about it, assessing how we are addressing RE,” said
Cusi during a meeting with key energy officials last June 24 via videoconferencing.
To promote the utilization of
renewables, Cusi said it is best for the country to focus on the resources that
are abundant and available, and extend all the necessary support to encourage
its development through innovative policies and strategies.
“Let us break our head, think on how
we can promote this source of energy – renewable that is really indigenous to
us,” Cusi said.
“Eto, proven na natin itong
geothermal (We’ve proven the viability of geothermal). Let’s go for it and
regain our previous global standing as one of the top countries in geothermal
development,” he added, noting that the Philippines used to be number one in
the field.
Geothermal plants may be expensive
to develop and take a longer time to construct, but this source of energy would
be able to generate electricity that would help the country sustain energy
security in the long term.
“This is the time to sit down and
explore ways to support geothermal, because one installation will easily wipe
out the 1,000 MW (megawatts) installation of solar. I am for RE that would help
improve the energy security of the country,” Cusi said.
The Energy chief cited Vietnam as an
example, where the country focused on developing the strength of its hydro
resources.
“They are very strong on hydro and
that’s what they are developing. They are giving priority to their hydro. It
doesn’t mean that they don’t have the other sources, but they focused on the
strength of this particular resource,” he added.
The National Geothermal Association
of the Philippines (NGAP) expressed its gratitude to the Energy department’s
directive to further develop geothermal in the country, saying it is “a step in
the right direction that will help our country become more energy independent.”
“We have recently sent a letter to
the Department of Energy to respectfully seek for its support in promoting and
pursuing geothermal exploration and development in the country, which currently
provides 11 percent of the Philippines’ power production,” said NGAP President
Joeffrey Caranto.
While numerous underdeveloped
geothermal energy sources have been identified, the group stated the high risk
and capital-intensive nature of exploring and developing these areas, along
with the lack of a guaranteed rate under the Feed-in-Tariff system, make it
more challenging for private developers to pursue them.
Hence, the group is proposing a risk
sharing between developers and the agency, especially during the “very costly”
exploration stage.
“This can be done by coming up with
a mechanism to tap the Malampaya Funds to provide financial support in the form
of a loan with lower rates or a grant,” Caranto said.
Another option, he said, is outright
spending of the government for exploration drilling using the fund and then,
after acquiring the necessary resource data, the DoE can bid out the
concessions to the private sector.
No comments:
Post a Comment