WELCOME REMARKS

Ernesto M. Pernia, PhD

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary

Forum on Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Energy PPPs

New World Hotel, Makati City

August 30, 2019 | 9:00 AM

Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Chair of the Senate Energy Committee;

Mr. Ahmed M Saeed, Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, ADB;

Mr. Kelly Bird, Country Director, ADB;

Undersecretary Ferdinand A. Pecson, Executive Director of the PPP Center;

Secretary Alfredo G. Cusi, Department of Energy;

Colleagues in government;

Friends from the private sector;

Participants from the civil society, the academe, and other institutions,

Good morning.

 

With the Philippines growing steadily over the past five years, the demand for energy has also been rising rapidly. In 2018, the country’s dependable energy supply was at 21,241 megawatts (MW) while the total peak demand was at 14,782 MW. From 2014 to 2018, the country’s total energy consumption has been growing at an average of 4.22 percent per year. Moreover, under a high economic growth scenario the country’s energy requirement is seen to increase four-fold by 2040, by an average of 5.7 percent per annum.

On the other hand, in terms of waste generation, the National Solid Waste Management Commission reported that in 2016 that the country generated about 40,000 tons of waste per day. Metro Manila alone generated over 9,000 tons of waste per day in the same year.

While we must meet the power demand to sustain our economic growth, we must also find a way to grow without compromising our environment and draining our natural resources. This is a delicate balancing act for the Philippines, a country that has a booming tourism industry, still rapidly growing population, and also faces not a few natural disasters every year.

The Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 recognizes this and the ecosystem’s role in supporting the growth of the economy as well as the general well-being of the population. The government has been working earnestly to preserve the country’s environment and natural resources.

In terms of energy sources, renewable energy and natural gas account for the majority of the country’s primary energy supply mix at 39.1 percent in 2017. While this has been decreasing in the past five years, the government has institutionalized policies and programs that will help spur the utilization of renewable energies.

The enactment of the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 has been continuously supporting sustainable energy development strategies to reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.

In terms of solid waste management, the government has been pushing for the strong enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. This promotes the establishment of material recovery and treatment facilities, closure and rehabilitation of existing dumpsites, and the formulation of local solid waste management plans.

In addition, the PPP Center, together with the DENR Environmental Management Bureau – Solid Waste Management Division, has drafted a guide for local government units that covers all phases of solid waste management project cycle and provides an overview of the national solid waste management strategy.

Moreover, we at NEDA have been working with the Asian Development Bank, in formulating the countryħ Sustainable Consumption and Production Framework and Action Plan. We aim to launch this action plan in September. The plan will be the backbone of Green Capitalism, where profit-maximization and environmental protection will go hand-in-hand, and in some cases, complementary to each other. Incidentally, sustainable consumption and production is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This is where Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) can further expand their role, particularly in developing innovative solutions in implementing and integrating renewable energy and waste-to-energy components in infrastructure and development projects. This is possible since the majority of the waste we produce is biodegradable at around 52 percent and recyclable at 28 percent. With the right push, the country can still further reduce the amount of solid waste it generates.

Our distinguished resource speakers will further discuss these later today. We encourage everyone, especially those from the LGUs, private sector and financing institutions to engage in the exchanges of information and experiences. We hope that by the end of this event, we will have gained insights on how to develop renewable energy sources and waste-to-energy PPPs. We also hope that we use this opportunity to explore available financing options to develop and implement these projects.

May this event inspire and motivate everyone to invest more in renewable energy and waste-to-energy PPPs. Through this, we can both meet our countryħ energy demands and provide future generations a clean and healthy environment.

We officially welcome and thank all of you for coming to this Forum on Renewable Energy and Waste-to-Energy PPPs. We wish you all fruitful and productive discussions today.

 

Thank you and good morning once again.

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