CONVENTIONAL power plants will remain a critical backbone of the Philippine grid even as the country ramps up renewable energy (RE) adoption, with industry leaders warning that sidelining traditional sources could compromise stability and growth.
At the American Chamber of Commerce’s (AmCham) 8th Annual Energy Forum, AboitizPower Transition Business Group Chief Engineering and Projects Officer Rolando “Don” Paulino said baseload capacity from coal and other conventional plants continues to provide the stability needed to support variable RE sources such as solar and wind.
“Conventional power provides the stability, flexibility, and reliability that will allow emerging technologies and cleaner sources to scale,” Paulino said. “Without it, the transition risks being unbalanced and unable to meet the country’s growing demand.”
The Department of Energy (DOE) projects Philippine electricity sales to quadruple from 91.3 terawatt-hours in 2022 to over 400 terawatt-hours by 2050, growing 5.49 percent annually. Meeting this demand, Paulino said, requires optimizing existing baseload plants while gradually integrating more renewables.
The view was echoed by other panelists. AmCham Energy chairman Frank Thiel stressed that “conventional energy still has a strong role to play. And it will continue to play a very strong role in the future.”
“The actual situation with respect to energy transition is a lot harder than any of us imagined. It’s not easy to go from convention to net zero,” added Yatin Premchand, managing director at Black & Veatch.
Paulino cited AboitizPower’s portfolio of baseload facilities — including GNPower Mariveles and GNPower Dinginin in Bataan, Therma Luzon in Quezon, Therma Visayas in Cebu and Therma South in Davao — as vital to ensuring dependable electricity while the grid modernizes.
The conference, attended by DOE Undersecretary Sharon Garin and Senate Energy Committee Vice Chair Sherwin Gatchalian, underscored the need for alignment between industry and government to achieve a balanced, secure, and sustainable energy future for the Philippines. / KOC