Press Release
July 4, 2019

STATEMENT OF SENATOR WIN GATCHALIAN ON THE DOE AND NREB PLAN TO BUILD A RENEWABLE ENERGY PORTFOLIO

Growing the renewable energy sector is a crucial factor for the Philippines to achieve energy security by 2040. By collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) to craft concrete plans to grow the renewable energy sector, the Department of Energy (DOE) has put itself right on track of its energy direction.

During our last committee hearing on energy security, the DOE painted a grim picture that the share of renewables in the country's energy mix is projected to drop to 17% in 2040 from 36% in 2017 under its business as usual scenario. Hopefully, through the new DOE and NREB proposal to build a renewable energy (RE) portfolio of 2,000 megawatts (MW) by offering a green energy tariff, we will be able to grow the share of renewables in our energy mix.

However, to ensure its success and prevent any unnecessary pass on charges to consumers, the DOE and NREB must conduct a careful study on the program, especially when it comes to the implementation of the green energy tariff rate, taking into consideration the declining costs of RE technologies. Will this new tariff require subsidy and if so, how much will the rate effect on consumers be? These are some of the things that the DOE need to thoroughly study before they push through with the plan.

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