In 2023, the Department of Energy (DOE) released data showing that coal continues to play a significant role in the Philippine energy sector. Although there has been a slight decrease in its contribution to the total on-grid capacity, coal remains a dominant force. In the latest report, it has been revealed that the total installed on-grid capacity of coal-fired power plants has slightly decreased by 0.18% compared to the previous year. The figures show that the capacity now stands at 12,406 megawatts (MW), down from 12,428 MW.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has recently advised power generation companies to consider voluntarily retiring or repurposing their existing coal-fired plants, despite the ongoing importance of coal in powering the nation. In a bid to meet the government’s ambitious goal of achieving a 50% share of renewable energy in the power mix by 2040, this initiative has been launched.
In the field of renewable energy, there has been significant growth in the installed on-grid capacities of hydro and solar sources. Hydro’s installed capacity experienced a 1% increase.
In 2022, there was a small rise in the on-grid power mix, with the capacity rising from 3,745 MW to 3,799 MW. Additionally, the share of this capacity in the overall power mix increased from 13.3% to 13.4%. The capacity of solar energy experienced a significant increase of 8.04%, reaching 1,653 MW compared to 1,530 MW in the previous year. As a result, its contribution to the grid expanded from 5.4% to 5.8%. In contrast, there was a decrease of 2.5% in the use of oil-based power sources, which dropped to 3,737 MW from 3,834 MW in the previous year. On the other hand, natural gas sources remained stable at 3,732 MW, making up 13.2% of the power grid.
On Geothermal and Wind Sources
Geothermal and wind sources have maintained their installed capacities at 1,952 MW and 427 MW, respectively. These sources contribute 6.9% and 1.5% to the power grid. In the past year, the total capacity of biomass installations saw a decline, falling from 611 MW to 585 MW. Despite this decrease, biomass still made a significant contribution of 2.1% to the power grid.
In 2023, the total installed on-grid capacity in the Philippines experienced a slight increase of 0.12%, reaching 28,291 MW compared to 28,258 MW in 2022. It is important to highlight the significant capacity of energy storage systems. These systems, which are not currently part of the on-grid power mix, demonstrated a combined capacity of 436 MW. Among these, battery systems accounted for 387 MW, while hybrid systems made up the remaining 49 MW. In the ever-changing Philippine energy landscape, coal continues to dominate while renewable sources show consistent growth, according to the latest data. In the ongoing pursuit of a sustainable energy future, finding the right balance between reliable power and environmental concerns remains a top priority for the nation.
Source: GMA INTEGRATED NEWS, Published April 12, 2024 12:01PM