MANILA — The Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing to conduct the fourth auction round under the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP), or GEA-4, as part of its ongoing efforts to accelerate the development and use of the country’s renewable energy resources.

For the first time, GEA-4 will include the Integrated Renewable Energy and Energy Storage System (IRESS). This round will focus on solar power plants integrated with Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

The DOE is set to release the GEA-4 Terms of Reference (TOR) within February. The TOR will outline the specific provisions and procedures for the auction process, including technical, financial, and commercial aspects, as well as insights and lessons learned from previous rounds.

The TOR will include key GEA instruments, such as auction design, bonds, instructions to bidders, bidding data, forms, templates, and post-auction requirements. To ensure active participation, the DOE will hold a dialogue on the draft TOR to gather feedback from relevant stakeholders.

The draft Notice of Auction, TOR, and the schedule for the stakeholder dialogue will be published on the DOE website.

The GEAP is a key part of the government’s strategy to expand renewable energy capacity and achieve a 35% share of renewables in the national energy mix by 2030. It provides energy developers with opportunities to secure contracts that support the growth of the country’s sustainable energy production.

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MANILA — With the forthcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) assures the public of the availability of sufficient power supply across the country before, during, and after the elections.

Measures are also in place to prevent any unscheduled power outages that may

disrupt the voting, as well as the counting process.

While there are two potential yellow alerts in Luzon for this week and the week of the elections, the DOE Energy Task Force Election has been instructed early on to

coordinate with the generating companies and the National Grid Corporation of the

Philippines (NGCP) to ensure the availability of generating units to meet the demand and required reserves during the said period.

Suspension of preventive maintenance and testing of generating units one week before and after the elections will be strictly enforced.

The demand forecast in Luzon for the week of elections is at 12,257 MW. However, the current demand is only 10,500 MW to 11,500 MW, where electricity consumption during the fourth quarter period is generally lower.

“With this, we have a buffer of at least 700 MW,” the DOE said.

The DOE Task Force has also coordinated closely with the generation companies and the NGCP to facilitate the timely completion and seamless entry of power projects, as well as critical transmission line projects, should there be any.

The NGCP was likewise directed to utilize the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) and the Mindanao Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP) during peak hours to balance the power supply and demand system of the grid.

Both the Visayas and Mindanao grids, meanwhile, are not expected to experience any alerts.

“Safeguarding the energy needs of the country during the critical electoral process is our foremost concern and we have enlisted the full cooperation of all our stakeholders in the generation, transmission, and distribution sectors in this endeavor. Preparations have been undertaken to ensure that there will be enough power in days leading up to, during, and in the immediate conduct of the elections” Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla said.

Meanwhile, the DOE Energy Task Force Election has also instructed distribution utilities (DUs) to deploy special and emergency line crews to check lines for any obstructions and to ensure that all necessary and correct connections are installed within their franchise areas.

IN PURSUIT of adopting alternative fuels in the transport sector particularly in the aviation industry, the Department of Energy (DOE) is collaborating closely with the country’s aviation sector and international partners to decarbonize commercial aviation industry through the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

SAF is an environmentally sustainable and chemically identical alternative to fossil fuel-based aviation fuel.

SAF can be processed from plant and used oil feedstock such as forestry and agricultural waste and used vegetable oils.

In the Philippines, one potential feedstock for SAF is coconut oil (CNO), which is also used for biodiesel production.

Alongside this, the DOE acknowledges international initiatives such as the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) which offers a harmonized way to reduce emissions from international aviation.

CORSIA allows the use of SAF derived from biomass or waste resources in order to reduce the carbon offsetting requirements of airlines.

Under the CORSIA’s timetable, participating ICAO Member States are mandated to comply with the CO2 off-setting requirements by 2024-2026 while the mandatory compliance was set for 2027-2035.

The Philippines as ICAO member joined CORSIA in December 2018 through the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP).

Likewise, Section 9.2 of Republic Act (RA) No. 9367 or the Biofuels Act of 2006 which establishes the National Biofuels Board (NBB) is mandated to recommend to the DOE the use of biofuel blends in air transport considering the safety and technical viability.

In February 2023, a stakeholders meeting was conducted among the DOE, CAAP, Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to discuss the potential advantage of exploring SAF in the country in preparation for CORSIA’s compliance by 2027.

EASA has also prepared a proposal for the SAF readiness evaluation for the Philippines, and it is expected to be completed by December 2023.

“The use of SAF is intended to reduce the carbon footprint associated with aviation operations. This alternative fuel source, derived from renewable feedstock, holds the potential to lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) while ensuring the highest safety and performance standard,” Undersecretary Alessandro Sales said.

“As a commitment to creating a sustainable aviation transport sector that will contribute to the broader national efforts towards a low-carbon future, the DOE is working to establish the necessary framework and regulations to support the adoption of SAP,” Undersecretary Sales added.

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