Coal continues to dominate Philippines’ energy mix —DOE data

Coal remains as the dominant source of energy in the Philippines in 2023, although its share to total on-grid capacity showed a slight decline, according to data from the Department of Energy (DOE).

DOE data showed coal-fired power plants' total installed on-grid capacity stood at 12,406 megawatts (MW), down 0.18% from 12,428 MW in 2022.

In terms of share to on-grid power mix, coal accounted for 43.9%, slightly lower than its 44% share to the grid in 2022.

As coal continues to dominate the country’s power mix, the Energy Department has called on power generation firms to voluntarily retire or repurpose their existing coal-fired power plants as part of the efforts to increase renewable energy's share to the power mix by 50% come 2040.

Renewable sources such as hydro and solar, meanwhile, saw increases in their installed on-grid capacities.

Hydro's total installed capacity last year rose by 1.4% to 3,799 MW from 3,745 MW in 2022. Its share to the on-grid power mix also grew to 13.4% from 13.3%.

Total capacity from solar, likewise, jumped by 8.04% to 1,653 MW from 1,530 MW year-on-year. Its share to the grid also grew to 5.8% from 5.4%.

Oil-based power sources declined 2.5% to 3,737 MW from 3.834 MW a year ago, while natural gas sources were unchanged at 3,732 MW.

Both oil-based and natural gas plants accounted for 13.2% of the power grid.

Installed capacity from other renewable sources, namely geothermal and wind, were unchanged at 1,952 MW and 427 MW, respectively.

Biomass, on the other hand, saw a decline in total capacity installed to 585 MW from 611 MW year-on-year.

Geothermal, wind, and biomass contributed 6.9%, 1.5%, and 2.1%, respectively, to the power grid.

The Philippines' total installed on-grid capacity grew by only 0.12% to 28,291 MW in 2023 from 28,258 MW in 2022.

The DOE did not include energy storage systems in the on-grid power mix but its capacity stood at 436 MW, composed of both battery and hybrid systems at 387 MW and 49 MW, respectively. —Ted Cordero/KBK, GMA Integrated News