Makati City, Philippines — The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP), together with its Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RE&EE) Committee, successfully organized its annual pillar event, the Energy Smart Forum 2024, with the theme, "Powering Progress: Accelerating Towards a Sustainable Energy Future." Since 2011, the ECCP has organized the forum to tackle critical issues in the Philippine energy sector and discuss opportunities for cross-sector collaboration.

In his opening remarks, ECCP President Paulo Duarte emphasized that the growing demand for energy requires significant collaborations to address issues and identify opportunities. “Addressing this challenge requires immediate action and a strategic, whole-of-society approach... This event will serve as a platform for meaningful and collaborative dialogue, aiming to steer the Philippine energy sector towards greater resilience, sustainability, and innovation,” he said.

Realising The Evolution Of The Philippine Energy Sector

The first session was opened by the keynote speaker, Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella of the Department of Energy (DOE), who spoke on behalf of DOE Secretary Raphael P .M. Lotilla about trends and upcoming developments for energy policies. Undersecretary Fuentebella highlighted the challenges and opportunities in the energy transition, he also noted that the Department strategically aligns its direction through the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) with the Philippine Development Plan.

“We had to make sure that the PEP would create more jobs and we had to also make sure that we have access and affordability of energy, reliability and resiliency, and move towards clean and climate-centered [energy],” Undersecretary Fuentebella said. The other notable development cited was the ease of restrictions on foreign ownership for RE investments, allowing up to 100% foreign ownership in technologies such as geothermal, biomass, solar, wind, and ocean energy.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) was represented by Engineer Jayson Corpuz, Chief Energy Regulation Officer, who spoke on behalf of Director Sharon Ocampo-Montañer. Engr. Corpuz outlined the regulatory landscape for enhancing security and affordability. He went on to discuss the phases of the Philippines' energy transformation in more depth, focusing on a multi-dimensional approach that has been in place since 2022. Additionally, the ERC remains focused on the omnibus rules for customer choice programs including the Retail Competition and Open Access program, Retail Aggregation Program, and Green Energy Option Program.

Renewable Energy Promotion Towards A Greener Future

The second session was opened by DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara, who presented the activities and policy priorities that support the integration of RE. She emphasized the importance of incorporating RE into the national grid, noting the predominant share of coal but also highlighting the increase in RE within the power capacity and generation mix for 2023.

Undersecretary Guevara projected that RE would surpass fossil fuels in the power generation mix beyond 2030, particularly with the anticipated expansion of offshore wind capacities. She encouraged offshore wind developers to achieve their first kilowatt-hour by 2028, expressing the DOE's optimism about realizing this milestone. “Accelerated RE development is and can be funded by the private sector, international finance institutions, and commercial banks. While the smart grid plan, offshore wind ports, coal plant decommissioning can be supported by the private sector investments, grants, or ODA [official development assistance] from bilateral and multilateral development partners,” she said.

Presenting a perspective from the private sector, Joseph Lacson, Chief Investment Officer of AboitizPower shared, "Taking a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of energy, environment, and economy is paramount. By creating strong partnerships between the government, private sector and international collaborators, we can overcome challenges, invest, and fully realize the potential of renewable energy." AboitizPower intends to expand local operations, with a substantial portion of this growth—about 50%—coming from RE projects.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rune Damgaard, Co-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Offshore Wind Philippines at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), detailed the company's optimism regarding the potential of the Philippines' offshore wind market. Since its entry into the Philippines in 2023, CIP has been developing three bottom-fixed offshore wind projects situated in Dagupan, San Miguel Bay, and Northern Samar. Reflecting on the forum's outcomes, Mr. Damgaard stated, “We are pleased to attend the successful event hosted by ECCP. The event gathered many prominent stakeholders in the Renewable Energy cohort and fostered fruitful discussions. We look forward to the continued collaboration.”

Driving Energy Efficiency And Conservation Forward

Providing an update on the Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EEC) Act, DOE Director Patrick Aquino presented, “The DOE collaborates with stakeholders to implement a national awareness and advocacy program for energy efficiency and conservation, and renewable energy technologies. Through initiatives like the “You Have the Power” campaign held across malls in the country, the DOE raises awareness on EEC, highlighting the importance of conserving energy, utilizing renewable energy sources, and promoting electric vehicles or EVs as a sustainable transportation option.”

Mr. Alexander Ablaza, President of the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance, elaborated on harnessing energy efficiency, energy security, and affordable power. He discussed that energy efficiency impacts the demand side of the market, such as planning, financing, construction, and preservation. From the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Mr. Ommid Saberi, Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies and Building Resilience Index Global Lead, discussed how the IFC focuses on climate-smart solutions for private sector development. Mr. Saberi encouraged businesses to collaborate to improve the resilience of buildings and cities.

Optimising Innovation To Reshape The Energy Landscape

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), as represented by Assistant Vice President and Head of Transmission Planning, P&E, Mr. Redi Alan Remoroza has made strides in improving the country’s energy infrastructure. Over the last seven months, NGCP has completed three major projects, including the building of a 500kV and a 230kV transmission backbone, and the interconnection of major grids. Mr. Remoroza shared that the NGCP has a roadmap for smart substation development. The specifications for the Philippine grid application aim to achieve digitalization, increased substation reliability, and simplicity of substation design.

Mr. Tom Peebles, President and CEO of Solenergy Systems Inc., emphasized the value of upgraded grid infrastructure and described how energy management has integrated the internet of things or IoT. In his discussion on the systems developed by Solenergy, Mr. Peebles advocated for a data-driven approach to energy efficiency, “Start with consumption monitoring because it is a very low-cost entrance into this idea of how to start down the energy efficiency road. How do I start reducing my cost of energy? The best way to do it is with data.”

To formally close the forum, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Vice-Chairperson of the Philippine Senate Committee on Energy delivered a video message on advancing legislation for supporting sustainable energy sources. The program and panel sessions were expertly hosted and moderated by the Co-Chairpersons of the ECCP’s RE&EE Committee, Ms. Ruth Yu- Owen and Atty. Jose Layug, Jr.

This year’s Energy Smart Forum was made possible through Event Partners, Embassy of the Republic of Austria, Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium, Embassy of the Kingdom of Denmark, Embassy of the Republic of Finland, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Embassy of Ireland, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Advocacy Partners, Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance, Energy Lawyers Association of the Philippines, and Philippine Independent Power Producers Association Inc; Co-Presenter, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners; Platinum Partner, Solenergy Systems Inc.; Silver Partners, Aboitiz Power, ACEN RES, and HSBC Philippines; Bronze Partners, MPower and PPI Pazifik Power; and Table Top Partner, Ditrolic Energy.