DOE EUMB issues no-objection to PE2 position on EE as economic stimulus

TAGUIG CITY, 4 May 2020 – The Department of Energy (DOE), through its Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB), issued earlier today a no-objection letter to the Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2) on the PE2 position statement, “Supporting the International Energy Agency’s Call to Include Energy Efficiency as Economic Stimulus.”

In the 4 May 2020 DOE letter inked by Director Patrick T. Aquino, the energy agency said that, under the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Act, the DOE has been tasked to issue the following guidelines:

• Financial arrangements wherein the government energy efficiency projects may be pursued through different financial arrangements and modalities like BOT and JV, following the applicable government procedures;
• Require the compliance of the MEP and DOE Energy Labels;
• Criteria of Government Energy Efficiency Projects subject to approval of qualified government EE projects for technical evaluation and approval of the Inter-Agency Energy Efficiency and Conservation Committee (IAEECC); and,
• Develop endorsement guidelines for government financial institutions.

Dir. Aquino explained further: “As the country transitions to the new normal, including energy efficiency and conservation, the DOE poses no objection on organizations providing support to other organizations, like PE2, marked by an atmosphere of good fellowship, to promote advocacies, studies, projects and programs to enhance the formulation of comprehensive energy policies towards the reduction of energy intensity that shall result in increased productivity and strengthened energy security.”

In the position statement circulated earlier, PE2 reported that the International Energy Agency (IEA) released on 8 April 2020 its paper “Energy Efficiency and Economic Stimulus – IEA Strategic Considerations for Policy Makers.” PE2 fully supports the IEA recommendation that governments include energy efficiency as a major pillar of proposed economic stimulus packages as countries plan their recovery pathways from the COVID-19 impacts. PE2 cited the cost-effectivity, job-generating impacts, speed of implementation, and the market readiness of energy efficiency as economic stimulus compared to other infrastructure development and other economic activities eyed in the stimulus strategy.