Renewable energy to boost RP power supply

About 4,135 megawatts (MW) may be added to the country's power supply in the next six years, the most part of which will come from renewable energy sources, data from the Department of Energy (DOE) showed. A status report recently released by the DOE showed that 37 projects in varying stages of development may provide an indicative capacity of 4,135 MW by 2016. Over 80 percent of the projects will be powered by renewable energy sources — five wind, one liquefied natural gas and natural gas, eight biomass, five geothermal, and 10 hydroelectric, one of the most mature renewable energy technologies. There are also six coal projects and one oil venture. "These are all indicative and in various stages of development. Some are under feasibility studies, some seeking financial closing, others are still doing marketing analysis," Mylene C. Capongcol, director of the Electric Power Industry Management Bureau, said in a phone interview. The biggest of the 37 slated projects is the 550-MW natural gas plant of First Gen Holdings, Corp. and BG Consolidated Corp. in Sta. Rita, Batangas City. The total committed capacity until 2014 stands at 1,354 MW. The biggest of the nine projects that have been committed is GN Power's 600-MW coal plant in Mariveles, Bataan. The Philippines is considered as the world's second-largest geothermal energy producer and the largest wind energy developer in Southeast Asia. — Jose Bimbo F. Santos, BusinessWorld