Philippine clean energy tariffs to start next year—government
Agence France-Presse
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013
MANILA, Philippines—The first power projects under the Philippines’ main incentive scheme for renewable energy should finally come online next year after a long regulatory struggle, an official said Wednesday.
Solar-power plants of between three and five megawatts each are expected to be the first to supply electricity under the plan, Mario Marasigan, the energy department’s renewable energy bureau chief, told AFP.
“We hope to see the first new renewable installations… under the feed-in tariff system hopefully next year. The most immediate possibility is solar installation,” Marasigan said in an interview.
The so called “feed-in tariff” guarantees energy companies an extra amount of money above the market rate for every kilowatt of clean power they sell.
It was one of the main planks of a 2008 renewable energy law to spur investment and see half the country’s energy come from renewable sources by 2030, compared with about 39 percent currently.
Despite the move, bigger projects, such as geothermal and wind, remain up three to five years away, he added.
Industry and green groups have complained that since the law was introduced, the tariff scheme has been relegated to a low priority and got lost in red tape while the government has focused on boosting fossil fuel power.
The government only approved the tariff rates in July last year, and the government has not yet approved any of the hundreds of projects that have submitted applications to participate.
“It (the feed-in tariff scheme) needs a stronger push from the government… there is too much red tape in renewable energy investments,” Greenpeace Philippines’ program manager Beau Baconguis said.
However Marasigan defended the pace of the roll-out, saying that the government was introducing a completely new energy financing scheme and this took time to get right.
“A FIT (feed-in tariff) mechanism is relatively new to us… it took us a while to learn and really decipher what is the best means for us,” he said.
2013/03/14
Power outage again in Mindanao
Power outages hit key cities in Mindanao anew
(The Philippine Star) | Updated March 14, 2013 - 12:00am
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – A large part of Mindanao is again experiencing blackouts as a result of the power curtailment imposed by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines due to shortages in the island’s hydropower capacity.
Key cities such as General Santos, Butuan, Zamboanga, Cagayan de Oro and Iligan have been affected by almost eight hours of power outages a day.
At present, Mindanao has a power shortfall of 294 megawatts, as the demand stands at 1,157 MW versus the actual supply of only 863 MW.
But Mindanao Development Authority chairperson Lualhati Antonino allayed fears of any power crisis, saying the government has earmarked P3.8 billion for the country’s power capabilities.
The budget, according to Antonino, includes allocation for the rehabilitation of existing hydroelectric power plants in the south.
“The Aquino administration has set aside P1.67 billion for the repair and rehabilitation of the country’s hydropower plants,” she said. Hydropower plants are supposed to have a maximum lifespan of only 30 years, she said, but the island’s hydropower plants are more than 30 years old.
She said the government wants to restore the hydropower plants to their original, more efficient state after the repair and rehabilitation work.
Antonino said the government has allotted another P2.2 billion for the repair of Mindanao’s water dikes. She said there is a need to control the flow of water from the dikes being used in hydropower plants to avoid downstream flooding.
She said it is not only General Santos City that is experiencing up to six hours of power outages but also other areas in Mindanao.
The government is looking at the possibility of using a 300-MW interruptible power load plan to solve the island’s power problems.
Companies with their own generator sets are also encouraged to share their power and the rates will be discussed with the Energy Regulatory Commission in two weeks’ time, Antonino said.
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