50 percent RE target for Mindanao attainable – ERC

MANILA, Philippines — The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is optimistic that Mindanao will be able to reach its ambitious target of hiking renewable energy in its power supply mix to 50 percent by 2030.

ERC chairperson and CEO Monalisa Dimalanta said the 50 percent target by 2030 is “a very realistic ambition,” noting that the region has already been able to bring its renewable energy generation capacity to about 37 percent.

Citing 2022 data from the Department of Energy, Dimalanta said Mindanao is the only island that has excess capacity, with peak demand at 2,167 megawatts (MW) and installed capacity at 4,570 MW.

“But the story of Mindanao goes beyond just having the excess and the ability to export—the composition of this capacity is actually the better story. In terms of generation, coal is at 60 percent but renewable energy is already at 37 percent,” Dimalanta said.

“Mindanao has exceeded the national target that is meant to be for 2030. In this sense, the 50 percent renewable energy by 2030 is a very realistic ambition for Mindanao than the rest of the country,” she said.

Dimalanta, who previously served as chairperson of the National Renewable Energy Board, challenged stakeholders to keep setting the bar high in achieving cleaner and more sustainable energy.

The draft Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) 2023 to 2050, which will serve as the blueprint that will chart the country’s energy landscape in the next three decades, adopts two scenarios – the reference scenario and the clean energy scenario.

Under the reference scenario where present development trends and strategies continue, the share of renewable energy in the generation mix is targeted at 35 percent by 2030, and 50 percent by 2050.

Meanwhile, the clean energy scenario aims to raise the share of renewable energy in the generation mix to 35 percent by 2030, 50 percent by 2040, and more than 50 percent by 2050.

The clean energy scenario includes two options for offshore wind capacity: scenario one, with a 19-gigawatt (GW) capacity by 2050, and scenario two, which has a much higher capacity addition of 50 GW by 2050.

The clean energy scenario likewise considers the entry of nuclear energy, in which 1,200 megawatts (MW) of capacity are eyed by 2032, 2,400 MW by 2035, and 4,800 MW by 2050.