The Department of Energy (DOE) is anticipating an 18% increase in the country’s energy capacity this year, which can reduce the risk of power supply issues in 2025.
The energy department’s statement came after Senator Rafael ‘Raffy’ Tulfo asked for assurance that a power supply crisis won’t occur next year or during the 2025 election period.
To this, Energy Undersecretary Rowena Guevarra guaranteed that 4,000 additional megawatts (MW) would be injected into the country’s energy system by the end of 2024. Of this, more than 1,900 MW would come from renewable energy (RE) while 2,000 MW would come from conventional energy.
Guevarra added that this addition implies a 6% annual increase in total power generation capacity or an 18% rise over 2022 figures.
Moreover, by 2025, additional capacity from recently completed and under-development power plants will be added.
In a report by the Inquirer, the undersecretary also said that the energy department will be keeping a close eye on the implementation of the additional capacities, assuring their timely start.
The DOE said that it had already laid the foundation for the incoming capacities, such as coordinating with national government agencies, local government units, and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for licenses and permits, to ensure that the projects will start on their projected timeframe.
