Low Carbon News in Philippines in January 2014
2 January 2014
Amihan Energy to develop wind energy project in Philippines
Amihan Energy has signed an agreement with Mudajaya and Dongturbo Electric to develop a 50MW wind power project in Cebu province. The agreement includes an initial investment of $180m in the project, which is claimed to be the second wind energy project in the Philippines and the first in Cebu.
The project will feature wind turbines across the 18,000-hectare leased land within Cebu City, Balamban and Toledo City in the province with work set to begin in February 2014 and commissioning set for mid-2015.
Source: Power-Technology, http://www.power-technology.com/news/newsamihan-energy-to-develop-wind-energy-project-in-philippines-4154172
10 January 2014
Department of Energy awards eight contracts to Hydrotec Renewables
The Department of Energy has awarded eight renewable service contracts including certificates of registration to Hydrotec Renewables Inc. for its small hydropower projects along Marikina River.
Total investment cost is estimated at up to P2.7 billion for the hydro projects, which would have a combined installed capacity of 25 megawatts (MW) to 30 MW, Hydrotec said. The target completion date for all the projects is in 2016, the company said.
Source: The Philippine Star, http://www.philstar.com/business/2014/01/10/1276956/doe-awards-8-contracts-hydrotec-renewables
20 January 2014
First Gen breaks ground for 414MW San Gabriel power plant project in Philippines
First NatGas Power, a 100% owned company of the Philippine independent power producer First Gen, has begun construction on a 414MW combined cycle natural gas-fired power plant in Santa Rita, Batangas City.
Recently in December 2013, Siemens Energy has won a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contract for the San Gabriel plant, which is claimed to be the most efficient gas-fired power plant in South-East Asia with an efficiency of more than 60%.
Source: Power-Technology, http://www.power-technology.com/news/newsfirst-gen-breaks-ground-for-414mw-san-gabriel-power-plant-project-in-philippines-4161951
22 January 2014
Philippine authorities urged to climate-proof cities, coastal areas
The Philippines urgently needs to improve the ability of its cities and coastal areas to cope with climate change and minimise the risks from extreme weather events, such as powerful storm surges, in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan, experts say.
Current projects and programmes are focused on climate change adaptation, disaster reduction, promotion of low-carbon development based on renewable energy sources, solid waste management and climate-proofing of infrastructure.
Source: Thomson Reuters Foundation, http://www.trust.org/item/20140122095401-vl62k
24 January 2014
Legarda Calls for Greater Climate Action Through Renewable Energy Development
Senator Loren Legarda today renewed her call for greater climate change action, particularly through significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and promotion of renewable energy development.
Legarda, the United Nations Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, made the call in her keynote speech at the ThomasLloyd Cleantech Forum 2014 today in Frankfurt, Germany.
“We need to take action now because a warmer earth threatens food security and public health. It is projected to bring down GDP by three percent and threatens the survival of communities,” said Legarda.
“This brings me to my call for low emissions development strategy. Clean technologies play an invaluable role in sustainable development. The Philippines, though a minor emitter of greenhouse gases, is a leader in the use of renewable energy. In fact, the second in geothermal energy use. Early estimates indicate that we have more than 200,000 potential renewable energy resources that remain untapped,” she said.
Source: Senate of the Philippines, http://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2014/0124_legarda2.asp
27 January 2014
Foreign and Filipino Experts Prescribe Rebuilding Strategies at the Experts Forum on Rebuilding Communities and Ecosystems after ‘Yolanda’
International and Filipino scientists shared and prescribed science-based strategies to the rehabilitation and rebuilding programs currently being undertaken by the government and private sector. At the experts forum on rebuilding communities and ecosystems held on 23 January 2014 in Makati City, about 300 scientists, engineers and experts from various disciplines discussed the current state of knowledge and how they can be applied to Yolanda affected areas and beyond. The forum was jointly hosted by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR) and the Oscar M. Lopez Center for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management Foundation, Inc. (OML Center).
Source: OML Center, http://www.omlopezcenter.org/news/foreign-and-filipino-experts-prescribe-rebuilding-strategies-at-the-experts-forum-on-rebuilding-communities-and-ecosystems-after-yolanda
29 January 2014
Solar power plant to rise in Bataan freeport
Next Generation Power Technology Corp (NGPT), a Filipino-Korean renewable energy developer, is investing P2 billion to develop a renewable energy project in Bataan.
The Authority of the Freeport of Bataan (AFAB) said in a statement that it had signed a contract for the project at the Freeport Area of Bataan.
NGPT committed P2 billion for a 20-megawatt solar power plant that will be set up in Mariveles, Bataan. The plant will be developed on a 37.5 hectare lot in the freeport area.
Source: Rappler, http://www.rappler.com/business/49160-solar-power-plant-to-rise-in-bataan-freeport
29 January 2014
Aboitiz group sets P78B power investments
The Cebu-based Aboitiz group is spending P78 billion this year to build new power plants amid tightening energy supply in the country.
Aboitiz Power is implementing a 5-year plan to increase its capacity by up to 2,098 megawatts (MW) by 2017.
The power unit is already constructing 3 run-of-river hydro plants equivalent to 27 MW. These plants include the 14-MW Tudaya I and II hydro plants in Mindanao that are expected to be completed by the first half of 2014, and the 13-MW Sabangan hydro plant in Luzon that will be finished by early 2015.
Source:Rappler, http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/173-power-and-energy/49145-aboitiz-group-power-investments-capex-2014
30 January 2014
Ty group putting up another coal plant in Iloilo
The group of taipan George Ty will build another coal-fired power plant in Iloilo middle of this year.
Panay Energy Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Ty-led Global Business Power Corporation, will put up a 150-megawatt coal-fired facility in the province that will begin commercial operations in July 2016.
Currently, the company has a 164-MW power plant in Barangay Ingore, La Paz, Iloilo City.
Source: Rappler, http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/173-power-and-energy/49271-ty-group-coal-power-plant-iloilo
Publication
Financing sustainable agriculture and mitigation
Smallholder farmers and forestry producers have a crucial role to play in food security, sustainable land use and emissions reductions initiatives. – Producers and investors alike require appropriate incentive structures to facilitate participation in sustainable land use initiatives. – A networked financing approach—Inari—may provide an innovative response to financing sustainable land use via intelligent diversification and addressing the finance needs of smallholders. – Diversification requires the development of a more holistic risk model for investment in smallholder agriculture and forestry, which will be tested in a number of developing countries in 2013 and 2014.
Source: http://ccafs.cgiar.org/publications/financing-sustainable-agriculture-and-mitigation#.UtyXGRCwqt9