The Department of Energy (DOE) is upholding its moratorium on the development of new coal power plants to minimize the country’s reliance on traditional fuel.

In a report by Manila Standard, Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said that since October 27, 2020, the Energy Department has placed a moratorium on the construction of new greenfield coal-fired power plants.

This was to bolster regulations aimed at boosting energy sustainability, security, and flexibility through an increase in the proportion of renewable energy (RE) in the energy mix.

Additionally, the moratorium was implemented to support the latest innovations, improve system adaptability, and uphold stricter environmental regulations.

Guevara added that since its administration, the expansion of new coal power projects has been halted while remaining coal power project developments are only permitted under specific categories.

In the ADB Asia Clean Energy Forum, the undersecretary added that the DOE is reinforcing its position on the implementation of the coal moratorium to continue the push for the reduction of coal dependence in the coming years.

Meanwhile, to fulfill the country’s desired goals of having 35% of the power generated by renewable energy sources by 2030 and 50% by 2040, 52,826 megawatts (MW) of capacity should be added to the nation’s committed and operating power plants.

Furthermore, these figures are likely to climb much higher given the Philippine Energy Plan’s [PEP 2023–2050] continuous upgrading. As of February 2024, 1,304 projects had been given contracts for renewable energy, according to Guevara.

Additionally, of the capacities covered by these contracts, 5,803.8 MW are already derived from operating plants, leaving 134,631.87 MW of potential capacity that is still available from pre-development and development projects.