As the Duterte administration inches closer to its tail end stretch, the Department of Energy (DOE) will knock anew on investors’ doors for prospective fresh capital flow to various projects being offered across segments in the energy sector.

Coinciding with the celebration of the National Energy Consciousness Month (NECM) that kicks off December 4, the DOE will be undertaking its virtual investment forum this year, in which it targets to present the various opportunities where both local and foreign investors could consider to put their money in.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi noted that the forum will “provide our stakeholders and investors with timely updates on the developments in the energy sector,” with him stressing that “now more than ever, we need to push harder in upholding our energy projects which will help in the recovery of our economy.”

Prior to the affliction of the Covid-19 pandemic, the forecast for the power sector in general will be another round of supply tightening by year 2022-2023, but because of the country’s economic crash due to the health crisis, this administration will be saved from leaving a legacy of potential power crisis.

Post-pandemic, economic recovery is anticipated by year 2023-2024, hence, it is seen that the major burden of capacity additions will be laid on the shoulders of the next administration.

And while Cusi has always been the non-apologetic defender of ‘technology neutral power mix’ for the country, he recently had a change of heart -- and the energy chief has been transformed into a passionate defender of ‘energy transition’ that will prominently push for renewable energy (RE) developments in the country.

The DOE secretary declared moratorium on new coal plant developments, albeit he highlighted that pending project applications will no longer be covered by that investment prohibition.

According to the DOE, its energy investment forum this year “intends to provide energy stakeholders with updates on the existing legislations relevant to energy projects as well as energy policies and programs, which are crucial to stimulate economic recovery amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In Cusi’s view, the country’s energy pathway moving forward shall predominantly lean on a “clean energy transition”, and that must be ushered in by massive scale RE installations that will reach as much as 34,000 megawatts until year 2040.

Qualifying that the Philippines is not an instigator of climate change, but rather a victim of the global warming crisis because of climate injustice stirred up by bigger, richer and industrialized nations, Cusi asserted that “this has left a country like ours at a delicate crossroads of balancing the need to fulfill our energy requirements without sacrificing the future of the coming generations.”


One major policy and development intersection that the country will cross this year is the implementation of the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), an edict that will stimulate market for RE so the targeted installations could be achieved through the years.

In the planning equation of the department is also an aggressive push for energy efficiency, or the ‘low hanging fruit’ that Filipino consumers could readily reap by embracing a lifestyle of efficient energy usage.