President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. shared with the key players of the Brunei Darussalam energy sector the Philippines’ interest in waste-to-energy projects as the government aims to develop alternative energy sources and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

In a meeting with Brunei’s energy players, Marcos Jr. said that the country has been considering potential investments in the renewable energy (RE) sector and improvements in partnerships for oil and gas.

“There’s a great deal of interest in that (waste-to-energy). But right now, it is not at the very macro level. It’s very much at the micro level. Yeah, it’s basically local governments because there is the problem, the attendant problem of what do we do with our waste?” said the chief executive in a Presidential Communications Office (PCO) news release.

Additionally, it was discussed that there were difficulties in navigating the legal and regulatory framework required to implement the program, as well as the critical necessity for appropriate facilities for harvesting the energy from landfills.

However, Marcos Jr. also believed that Philippine legislators are now recognizing that viable and clean solutions to the problem of waste disposal do exist.

Along with discussing technological developments and sharing experience in oil, gas, and RE, the conversation with Brunei included discussion on future energy projects and sustainable practices, as well as investment potential in the country’s RE sector.

Brunei has been actively exploring the potential for renewable energy-based connectivity by establishing interconnections with neighboring countries.