DoE endorses 86 projects for operating permits

THE Department of Energy (DoE) has endorsed 86 new and existing power plant projects to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) as of August, moving them a step closer to obtaining a permit to operate.

According to the list published on its website, the DoE has issued certificates of endorsement (CoEs) to the generation facilities which had a combined capacity of more than 3,000 megawatts (MW).

Some 58 generation facilities powered by conventional energy sources that were issued CoEs, while 28 are renewable energy (RE) projects.

Of the total, 54 facilities are diesel-powered plants, 15 hydroelectric, eight solar, three coal-fired, three geothermal, and two biomass.

The National Power Corp. - a government-owned and -controlled corporation - has been granted CoEs for nine diesel power plants with a combined capacity of over 21 MW.

ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Monalisa C. Dimalanta said that the projects are to be issued certificates of compliance (CoCs) which will serve as permits to operate.

Ms. Dimalanta said the moratorium on coal-fired power will limit the number of CoEs and CoCs issued.

'No new CoEs will be issued for coal plants, except perhaps for expansion if already included in the PEP (Philippine Energy Plan),' she said in a Viber message.

She added that 'RE projects are smaller in scale so more in number to cover the capacities required by the system.'

In October 2021, the DoE declared a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants as part of a shift to a more flexible power mix.

At the end of 2022, RE accounted for about 22% of the Philippines' energy mix, with coal-fired power plants taking up nearly 60%.

The government hopes to increase the share of RE to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040. The DoE said that an additional 52,826 MW RE capacity is needed by 2040