PH to benefit from energy law in 3 years
(PE2 note: Jordeene Lagare of The Manila Times reports PE2’s viewpoint that the measurable impacts of the EE&C Act will start to be felt in the next 3 years, as shared during PE2’s first Energy Efficiency Day.)
It will take up to three years for the Philippines to fully benefit from the Energy Efficiency Conservation (EE&C) law that was enacted two years ago.
Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance President Alexander Ablaza, in a virtual event held Monday, said, “we get to feel the impact of the law down the road in the next three years.”
“After 29 years of a voluntary energy efficiency market in the Philippines, we still need the next three years to start experiencing the impacts of the law,” said Ablaza during event dubbed “Energy Efficiency Day.”
Ablaza is referring to Republic Act (RA) 11285, or the “Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act,” that President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law on April 12, 2019.
The said law, among others, aims to institutionalize energy efficiency and conservation as a national way of life geared towards the efficient and judicious utilization of energy by formulating, developing and implementing energy efficiency and conservation plans/programs to secure the country’s energy supply.
Since its enforcement, the Department of Energy (DoE) has promulgated circulars to accelerate the implementation of the said law.
In a speech, Energy Undersecretary Jesus Cristino Posadas said the DoE has made concrete steps to push the agenda into the mainstream.
“With the roll out of supporting issuances of the EE&C Act, the DoE has collaborated with other government agencies to stimulate investment particularly in the use of energy efficient technologies in designated establishments,” said Posadas, who represented Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi in the event.
“The culmination of our partnership with the Board of Investments will be in the finalization of the department circular on the recommendation of energy efficiency projects to the BOI (Board of Investments), which will be held later this week,” he added.
Ablaza said RA 11285 raised the Philippines’ energy efficiency score above global and Southeast Asia averages.
But the country, he said, should aspire to make it to the top tier along with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
House Speaker Lord Allan Jay Velasco, in the same event, cited the need to craft a national plan to accelerate energy efficiency and conservation practices across the nation.
“The first order of the day is to set up a national plan so that everyone will be on the same page,” said Velasco.
Velasco urged government agencies to do their part. “All government agencies are directed to ensure efficient use of energy in their offices, facilities and transportation units.”
He also said that local government units must establish their respective energy efficiency and conservation plans.
With the EE&C law in place, Velasco said the country has the appropriate policy framework to manage budgets, funds and fiscal incentives toward energy efficiency adoption.
“Now, the actual challenge is how to encourage national government agencies to become more energy efficient or how NGAs (national government agencies) can overcome initial apprehensions on partnerships with private energy service companies,” he added.
