On March 15, 2024, President Bongbong Marcos shared that German company WPD GmbH will invest P392.4 billion in the Philippines’ expansion of renewable energy (RE). Investments will be funneled to offshore wind farms in Cavite, Negros Occidental, and Guimaras.

While we are pleased to hear about these investments in the development of our RE capacity, these will remain only commitments and not tangible projects if reforms in the national grid and renewable energy development are not undertaken.

At the recently concluded 2nd Philippines Onshore Offshore Wind & Energy Storage Summit (POOWESS), held at the Sheraton Manila Bay on March 14-15, investors and developers in the renewable energy industry t voiced their concerns over the development of renewables in the Philippines. Among these are outdated grids that can’t utilize the added RE, insufficient training programs for RE projects, and the lack of concrete RE development plans at the national level.

The most glaring is the Philippines’ continued use of fossil fuels. The local energy sector is still dominated by fossil fuel generators, despite a coal moratorium passed in 2022. A gas bill is also being pushed to promote fossil gas (liquefied natural gas or LNG) as a transition fuel— that will only cement the dominance of fossil fuel in the energy market and discourage investment in RE.

Pursuing 100% RE is essential to prevent catastrophic global warming. But with coal and gas being allowed to keep the contracts, renewable energy will not grow based on the climate calls of tripling RE by 2030. We cannot make full use of these RE investments until the national government addresses these gaps in the energy industry. Development of renewables must be met with the phaseout of fossil fuels, reforms in renewable energy development, and the modernization of the national grid.

Establishing concrete plans for 100% renewables will also place the Philippines as a staunch global partner in combating climate change.

We call on the national government to raise its ambitions for RE in its energy plan.
Lay out a framework for a just energy transition to 100% renewables by 2030.
Push for a just and managed phaseout of fossil fuels!

FOR INQUIRIES
Raymond Ruedas
mediacommunications@climatejustice.ph
09274382015