Government seeks more investments in biomass

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking investments for biomass developments as part of its thrust to expand the country’s renewable energy sector.

The DOE promoted the investment potential of the Philippines, particularly in Palawan and Mindanao, given their vast biomass reserves and suitable plantation areas in a recent Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) meeting.

During the meeting, the DOE presented the Biomass Resource Assessment, a product of the technical assistance program funded by the United States Agency for International Development in 2013.

The study revealed that biomass utilization would yield a potential power generation capacity of 4,448 megawatts (MW). It would also reduce CO2 emissions by an estimated 17.25 million tons. 

The DOE hosted the international conference and capacity building workshop on biomass as part of the overall strategy for sustainable energy development in Southeast Asia.

This activity underscores the importance of biomass and biofuels as abundant indigenous resources in the region for power supply and rural electrification.

“It is fundamental to the country’s sustainable energy agenda to develop and utilize our indigenous renewable energy resources. This is vital to achieving energy self-reliance, strengthening climate change mitigation measures and ushering in socio-economic advancement in rural areas,” DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

The DOE chief also emphasized that renewable energy is key to progress.

The Philippines, Indonesia and Sarawak, Malaysia presented their respective bioenergy policies, utilization technologies and policy implementation updates to about 80 participants comprised of international delegates, local government units, national government agencies and electric cooperatives.