Department of Energy (DOE) secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla is pushing for a “just transition, fair transition” of renewable energy (RE).
Lotilla, in an event by the Embassy of Sweden, said that transitioning to RE should be fair to everyone and that the transition should not transfer the burden to the Philippine population.
“First of all, green transition for a developing country like the Philippines must be a just transition; it must be a fair transition and therefore we must avoid transferring the burden of climate transition to an already overburdened Philippine population,” He said.
Lotilla also explained that the transition should occur over a reasonable period of time, it cannot occur overnight.
“We have to take full advantage of all sources of energy that are currently in place and use them in a wise manner. At the same time, we need to be able to transition to a cleaner environment,” he added.
Furthermore, the energy secretary also highlighted recent energy movements of the government such as the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) being imported into the country for the first time. He admitted that several sectors blasted the use of liquified natural gas from other countries even though it aids the shift as a transition fuel.
“What do we have to replace LNG if that is needed in the Luzon grid to stabilize variable renewable energy?” Lotilla said.
As for Nuclear power, Lotilla encouraged everyone to keep an open mind and to be open to other forms of technology.
Lotilla noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. focused on safety, suitability, and price in choosing nuclear power.
Marcos Jr.’s visit to the US bore fruit as pledges of investments for Nuclear Power came in. NuScale Power Corporation, a nuclear energy company from the United States that provides small modular reactors (SMRs) expressed its interest in investing in the country. Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation, also from the United States, offered micro-modular reactors (MMRs).
