The Department of Energy (DOE) said that there are rapid advancements in battery technology, believing that 2050 renewable energy (RE) targets are already at hand.
In a report by Business World, Energy Undersecretary Sharon S. Garin said that the department had been encouraging battery system companies in the hopes of attracting top-notch technology.
However, Garin also acknowledged that there are limitations to RE development and that with appropriate technologies, the 2050 goal could be realized.
Garin’s statement came after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian posed a question about the department’s efforts in developing more RE projects.
Meanwhile, Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara mentioned plans for two green energy auctions before the end of 2024, offering geothermal, pump-storage hydro, and impounding hydro projects.
With the Malampaya gas field estimated to run out of recoverable gas by 2027, legislators are pushing for courses of action meant to ease the importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Prime Energy Resources Development B.V. Managing Director and General Manager Donnabel Kuizon Cruz, who was also in the same hearing, advocated for increased exploration, saying that the country’s exploration activity trailed behind the rest of Southeast Asia.
However, Center for Energy, Environment and Development, Inc. (CEED) Deputy Head of Legal Isabel Patricia C. Soresca said that there are a number of environmental risks related to LNG use, such as threats to coral reef ecosystems, mangroves, and decreased water quality.
The Philippines has been working towards increasing the share of RE in its energy mix from 22% to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040.
