Country now in state of climate justice, passing mitigation
The Philippines’ energy industry has
to make and carry out firm decisions to become more independent and resilient
as it has now arrived at a state of climate justice, which is well beyond mere
mitigation. Its 53% energy sufficiency level also has to increase
and can be strengthened by tapping into renewable energy resources. Government
officials and industry leaders from the energy sector reached this conclusion
during the recent webinar, “Energy in Sustainability: Renewable Energy
Solutions at the Core of Climate Crisis,” conducted by the European Chamber of
Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) in partnership with the Philippine
Energy Independence Council (PEIC).
PEIC, ECCP, DOE leaders join experts and industry captains on energy sector for
first 2021 Energy Smart Forum webinar.
L to R: Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella, Department of Energy; Atty. Paola Alvarez ,Assistant Secretary, Department of Finance; Hon. Jesus Tamang Director, Energy Policy and Planning Bureau – Department of Energy; Mr. Gerry Constantino, Director for Projects, Events and Trainings, ECCP; Ms. Ruth Yu-Owen, Chair, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee ECCP; Mr. Don Paulino, President, PEIC; Mr. Eric Francia, President & CEO, AC Energy; Dr. Antonio Gabriel La Viña, Secretary, PEIC; Mr. Joseph Incalcaterra, CFA, Chief ASEAN Economist, HSBC; Ms. Nazrin Castro, Branch Manager, The Climate Reality Project Philippines; Mr. Emmanuel Yu, Executive Director, Ditrolic Solar Philippines Inc.; Ms. Myrna Velasco, International Relations Consultant, PEIC.
During this session, which is part
of the 2021 Energy Smart Forum Series, the delegates investigated requirements
for the national energy sustainability framework, presented solutions to enhance
power-generation capabilities, and came up with a roadmap towards the use of
cleaner energy sources by 2040 to prevent an energy crisis.
First, the Department of Energy
(DOE) Director of the Energy Policy and Planning Bureau Jesus T. Tamang
contextualized the current state of renewable energy in the Philippines in the
ASEAN. He noted, “Our energy self-sufficiency is about 53%, which represents
the share of our region’s energy sources to total. At the level of 34% share of
renewable energy in 2020, the Philippines remains to have the highest renewable
energy share in total primary energy supply among all the ASEAN countries. This
puts us at the forefront of the sustainability game in the region.”
Then, Eric Francia, President and
CEO of AC Energy and PEIC board member, asserted the necessity for
the Philippines to be energy-independent, saying, “An opportunity that the
country has set is to increase its target renewables output from 21% to 35% by
2030. Renewables definitely have a major, major role to play. Energy
independence is a critical imperative in this day and age.”
PEIC Secretary Dr. Antonio Gabriel
La Viña emphasized that the Philippines
is in “a stage of
climate justice and no longer a stage of mitigation. The decision must be done
in a just way.” He also asserted, “We are not ambitious enough to ask for
the money that is owed us for climate finance. We can fund big energy projects,
big forestry projects, and big agricultural projects if we just think big
enough.”
Don Paulino, President of PEIC, also
said that progress can be achieved by an informed collaboration between the
government, the private sector, and the general public. He said, “There needs
to be an active request and participation by other people in the country. We
need to demand from our leaders, whether it’s the public, the government, or
the private sector, to think about climate change. You have a voice, by
educating yourself, by being a part of the public discourse, and by actively
campaigning. We need to make sure that public issues on energy are properly
discussed so that by 2040, 2050, we’ll actually be carbon neutral as a
country.”
Attorney Paola Alvarez, Department
of Finance Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson expressed the urgency of
climate change action, saying, “The Philippines is at the forefront of a global
movement seeking climate justice. We look forward to more collaboration with
our international partners and the private sector to achieve our climate
ambition. We have only one planet and all of us must act decisively today in
order to save it.”
The session, which was hosted by
Gerry Constantino, ECCP Director for Projects, Events, and Training, and
moderated by energy journalist Myrna Velasco, also reviewed concrete action
points, moving forward to achieve the country’s sustainability goals by at
least 2030.
Nazrin Camille Castro, Branch
Manager at The Climate Reality Project Philippines, was hopeful about
innovation and development in the economy that will continue to support the
transition towards clean energy, “The Philippines is now ready to modernize its
power system. The need for a clean energy transition in the Philippines is more
on the matter of modernizing its economy, delivering affordable power to the
Filipino people, and driving energy self-sufficiency.”
DOE Undersecretary Felix William
Fuentebella drew focus on the technical developments in the country’s energy
sector that help progress the nation towards a more sustainable future, “We
have emphasized the competitive renewable energy zones,” he said. “It’s where
to put these renewable energy developments that are already easier to connect
to the grid so that we can reach our goals, and rolling out the green energy
option for the contracting of the smaller plants and partnering them directly
to contestable customers.”
Rising costs are among the many
challenges that have arisen in the journey towards sustainability, usually
found in erecting the infrastructural support needed to generate and maintain
clean energy sources.
However, Emmanuel Yu, Executive Director
of Ditrolic Solar Philippines Inc., pointed out a silver lining, “The
renewable sector has been growing by more than 100% since 2017. With the
increased capacity, new technology, and better efficiency, the cost of
renewable energy has been going down to the point that the Levelized cost of
electricity now is lower than the price from the ground energy sector.”
HSBC Chief ASEAN Economist
Joseph Incalcaterra also acknowledged, ““In terms of financing
renewables in the Philippines, the cost is large, but with public-private
partnership and the right regulations, it will be doable.”
Ruth Yu-Owen, Chair of the ECCP
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Committee, highlighted the importance of
the forum series as it explores the future of the nation’s energy, saying,
“Energy is interconnected with all aspects of our daily life. To create a safe
and secure future for all, we need to ensure that not only the country’s energy
demand is met, but that also its environmental and sustainability goals are
achieved.”
PEIC Executive Director
Amor Maclang reinforces the urgent call
towards Philippine energy security and independence in the face
of climate change saying, “We need to intensify our efforts towards
indigenous energy explorations within the country's jurisdiction. That will
support our road to energy independence. The climate crisis concerns us all,
and we should take part in solving it in whatever way we can.”
The Philippine Energy Independence
Council consists of energy advocates who, through public discourse and
lobbying, aim to secure an energy-independent Philippines.
For more information
on membership and organization activities, please contact PEIC
via their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/energyindependenceph.
