ENERGY Secretary Sharon Garin is optimistic about achieving greater infrastructure accomplishments in the energy sector, having significantly improved the response times of the agencies under the department.
Her optimism is anchored on the fact that all the agencies involved with the DOE are much more accomplished now.
‘Napocor [National Power Corporation] is slowly starting its hybridization to reduce our dependence on diesel. Transco [National Transmission Corporation] is doing the same by expanding its mandate. I believe that NEA [National Electrification Administration] is also expanding its focus to include solar solutions,’ she said.
‘I am positive that we will accomplish even more in 2027. It’s not easy to solve problems in energy because it takes time, and there are many components.
‘We just keep on going. I think in a few months or years, more improvements will be seen. We’ve learned fast, and our response time is faster now. So, I am quite optimistic about 2027,’ she added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will deliver his State of the Nation Address (Sona) next week. Garin said her office has already provided Malacañang with updates on the agency’s accomplishments.
‘We are preparing for what his directive will be for the DOE. We’re ready and I think energy will be a very important topic because it is a very important topic worldwide. So, we’re ready for whatever directive the President gives,’ she said.
Garin noted that most of the President’s directives from last year have already been ticked off the box. ‘Last year, he gave instructions about lifeline rates, net metering, and a few other things. We have finished those.
We’re now doing assessments, and creating master plans for Visayas, Mindoro, and Palawan. There are also new accomplishments in addition to the directives of the President. We fast-tracked so many RE [renewable energy] projects, which were pushed by the oil crisis,’ she said.
This was made possible by the green energy auction (GEA), which is the primary market established by the DOE to accelerate private investment in clean energy designed to achieve the country’s firm, non-negotiable RE targets-35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
Earlier, the DOE said it has awarded roughly 20 gigawatts of RE capacity through the green auctions. ‘GEA is very successful. We’ve awarded 20 gigawatts,’ said Garin.