MANILA – The country may expect additional 7,712 megawatts (MW) of power supply from 2021 to 2027, according to Department of Energy (DOE) secretary Alfonso Cusi.
On Thursday night, Cusi said the construction of new power sources is underway this year and in the coming years to augment the needed power requirements as the Philippine economy continues to expand.
Between 2016 and 2020, installed capacity grew from 21,424 MW to 26,287, increasing by 4,863 MW.
Cusi added that the energy stakeholders have been preparing for the anticipated depletion of the Malampaya natural gas field through building new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and exploration of indigenous power sources.
By next year, two LNG projects are expected to go online – the LNG project of AG&P and Osaka Gas by the second quarter and the LNG facility of First Gen and Tokyo Gas by the third quarter.
“Aside from LNG, we continue to pursue the exploration of our indigenous resources like gas and oil in the West Philippine Sea,” the secretary stated, adding that five service contracts were awarded since the government lifted the ban on exploration activities in the West Philippine Sea last year.
DOE continues to partner with the international community to study potential power sources in the future. It has partnered with Australian and Japanese firms to study hydrogen as the fuel of the future.
The Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee is also looking into the potential of nuclear energy to be part of the country’s energy mix.(PNA)
