DOE: Full RE foreign ownership added 20 GW to PH power supply

The Philippines’ decision to open the renewable energy (RE) space to full foreign ownership has led to the installation of about 20 gigawatts (GW) of new power capacity, a government official said.

Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara acknowledged the private sector’s role in helping the country hit its target of 35 percent renewable energy share in the electricity generation mix by 2030.

At present, renewables contribution is at 22 percent.

She said the country moved closer to achieving this goal after the government allowed full foreign ownership in renewable projects in 2022.

“To date, it has already attracted 75 projects, totaling 20 GW capacity, awarded to fully foreign entities,” she said at the recent 2nd Philippines Future Energy and Grid Summit 2025.

Enabling environment

“Hence, we are creating an enabling business environment to make RE more appealing to investors,” Guevara added.

One of the ways the government is enticing more private support is the green energy auction program (GEAP), as it provides fixed rates to winning power bidders.

“With GEAP, technologies are mature, and costs are lower,” she said.

For this year alone, the government has set four auction rounds. The agency saw bids for 7,530.89 megawatts (MW) under the third round, surpassing its 4,650 MW target. About 6,680 MW were awarded.

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The GEA-4, meanwhile, launched the country’s first integrated renewable energy and energy storage system. Accepted bids reached over 9,400 MW.

Two more rounds are slated this year, focusing on fixed-bottom offshore wind and biomass/waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies.

Special auction

Last week, the DOE said it would also conduct a “special green energy auction” for WTE projects that will source their waste feedstock within Metro Manila and highly urbanized cities (HUCs), with completion set by the fourth quarter of 2027.

Citing 2024 data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission, the capital region and HUCs generate an estimated 6.12 million metric tons of municipal solid waste, which could fuel 335 MW of baseload power capacity.