JAKARTA – The International Energy Agency (IEA) sees the Philippines’ energy transition picking up steam, pointing to an accelerated rollout of renewables and growing efforts to harness nuclear power.
IEA Regional Cooperation Center head Sue-Ern Tan said the government has taken “great steps” to prepare the Philippines for its energy future, particularly through policies aimed at unlocking more investment in cleaner power sources.
For one, she said the green energy auction (GEA) program is sending a positive signal to the market to develop a pipeline of bankable renewable energy (RE) projects.
“I think it’s very positive that they’re thinking through how they can integrate more of those homegrown resources into the existing power system,” Tan said on the sidelines of Enlit Asia 2026 here in the capital of Indonesia.
The Department of Energy (DOE) completed the fourth GEA round (GEA-4) last year, securing more than 9,400 megawatts (MW) of RE capacity.
The DOE has also unveiled a 10-year auction roadmap targeting at least 25 gigawatts of capacity by 2035.
This year alone, simultaneous bidding rounds are underway, including a special auction for waste-to-energy facilities and GEA-5 for fixed-bottom offshore wind projects.
These auctions support the government’s ambitious goal of increasing the share of renewables in the energy mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
Beyond renewables, Tan said the Philippines is also making significant strides toward bringing nuclear power to households and businesses.
“I saw the very recent announcement about going through the steps required to potentially have nuclear (power) in the Philippines again. Shoring up its energy security has been really positive,” she said.
The DOE wants to launch the bidding process for the country’s first commercially operational nuclear plant in June 2027, with the winning bidder expected to secure a ready market for the project and potential access to state funding support.
The Philippines is home to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant – Southeast Asia’s only existing nuclear facility – which was built in the 1980s but never commissioned amid safety and political issues.
Decades later, the country is looking to revive its nuclear ambitions, targeting around 1,400 MW of nuclear capacity by 2038.
But while these developments are promising, Tan said the energy transition remains an uphill journey for the Philippines, which must balance the push for cleaner energy with the need to keep power reliable and affordable.
“So you can’t switch straight away,” the IEA official said, noting the country’s heavy reliance on coal for power generation.
Currently, coal accounts for around 60 percent of the energy mix, while renewables make up only about 25 percent.