DAVAO CITY – The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said more sources of renewable energy will be added to the Mindanao grid between 2023 and 2028 that will balance out the current power mix of the island at 70-30 in favor of fossil fuels.
MinDA Assistant Secretary Romeo Montenegro said that the islands may have additional 2,000 megawatts of renewable energy of which 400 megawatts (MW) are already committed applications and 1,600 MW are indicative.
He said the government hopes to reverse the island’s power mix in compliance with its obligations under the Paris Agreement by promoting more investments in clean energy.
The multilateral agreement, which entered into force on Nov. 4, 2016, targets to limit “global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels” as part of global efforts to combat climate change and adapt to its effects.
Under the agreement, countries “aim to reach global peaking of greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible to achieve a climate neutral world by mid-century.”
The Philippines signed the Paris Agreement on April 23, 2016, and it was subsequently ratified by the Senate on March 23, 2017 under the administration of former President Duterte.
According to Montenegro, Mindanao is not expecting new applications for the construction of coal-fired power plants after the Department of Energy declared in 2020 a moratorium on endorsements for greenfield coal power plants.
Montenegro said the island has a total of 4,000 MW installed capacity, of which between 2,700 and 2,800 MW is the available capacity.
Mindanao’s power supply is supplied mainly by coal-fed power plants.
He added that there are applications for solar, hydro, biomass, and other possible sources of renewable energy on the island.
“If these are implemented, and fully developing power to the grid, that will definitely turn the tide in favor of renewable energy by 2028. However, it’s not easy to go through the several challenges,” he said.
Montenegro added that among the challenges investors in renewable power encounter include the financial agreements between the proponents and financial institutions and the available market.