THE Department of Energy (DOE) said it has received P57.4 million from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to support renewable energy (RE) projects.
The DOE said in a statement on Tuesday that the money will be used to boost government efforts to expand RE developments in the country.
The amount represents PCSO’s 2023 contribution to the Renewable Energy Trust Fund (RETF), as mandated by the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, the agency added.
The law allocates 1.5 percent of PCSO’s net annual income to the fund, which supports projects that promote the development and use of clean energy technologies.
“This contribution is not just a financial boost, it’s a step forward in expanding energy access, innovation, and sustainability,” DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said as she accepted the check on behalf of the department.
The DOE, through the RETF Committee, has been actively collecting and managing these funds following the issuance of Department Circular No. DC2022-06-0018, which laid down the guidelines for fund sourcing, accounting, and auditing.
To ensure the effective use of the RETF, the DOE also signed a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development to support selected research and development initiatives.
DOE said at present, projects where the RETF is being used include sustainable aviation fuel production, RE mapping systems, and solar photovoltaic market assessments.
Based on the latest data from the DOE, as of end-May 2025, the total share of on-grid RE capacity in the country (comprised of hydro, geothermal, wind, biomass and solar technologies) was at 9,945 megawatts (MW), equivalent to 32.1 percent of the country’s total power supply mix at 30,967 MW.
The Philippine government plans to increase RE’s share in the power generation mix to 35 percent by 2030 and raise it further to 50 percent by 2050.
