DOE mulls bidding for renewable energy contracts on per area basis

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) is eyeing to bid out contracts to develop renewable energy (RE) resources per area to further boost development in the sector and allow more players in the field, as well as prevent further transmission contraints in the future.

This will be the direction of RE development after the end of President Aquino’s term, DOE Secretary Zenaida Monsada said.

She noted there are data on the RE resources with the DOE-Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) and National Renewable Energy Board (NREB), but only for wind and solar.

Contracts for these resources will then be auctioned off to the private sector through competitive selection process (CSP), she added.

Monsada said the DOE will start updating the RE component of the Power Development Plan aimed to avoid transmission constraints when developing RE projects in one area.