The Senate Committee on Energy was urged to open a level playing field for diverse energy solutions to create more opportunities for renewables in the country’s energy mix.
“Opening a level playing field for diverse energy solutions reduces the country’s exposure to fluctuating prices and dependency in the international fossil-fuel market, guaranteeing the country’s long-term energy security,” Pete H. Maniego, Senior Policy Adviser of the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), said during the Senate Energy Committee hearing.
The right policy support for renewable energy may mobilize big investments and industrialization, he added.
“Renewable energy offers sustainable, stable, and affordable power that is in line with the Philippine government’s commitment to provide the power needs of the country and its development goals,” Maniego said.
A competitive playing field in the country’s energy market would support the Duterte administration’s objectives on industrialization.
Maniego said part of the solution would be removing the ‘first-to-complete, first-to-be approved’ system that favors bigger companies, “nurturing a diverse market that offers an ever-widening array of renewable energy services and products will attract a new wave of investments.”
ICSC also urged that the National Renewable Energy Board to have budget and personnel that will identify the best energy strategy for the country.
ICSC is advocating the shift to price-based approach in power contracts from cost-based for all energy sources.