CAGAYAN de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez yesterday filed a bill seeking the creation of the Philippine Renewable Energy Corp. (PREC) for the government to have an entity exclusively tasked to develop renewable energy.
“It is imperative for the government to take a more active role in assuring adequate supply of electricity with the use of renewable energy sources, thereby reducing the country’s dependence on imported fossil fuels and mitigate the impact of climate change,” Rodriguez said in House Bill No. 4205.
Rodriguez said there is a need for measures “that would help ensure stable, affordable and reliable supply of electricity to sustain economic growth and enhance the wellbeing of the nation.
“There is also an urgent need to undertake electrification projects through the development of renewable energy (RE) sources in underserved, unserved and missionary areas,” he said in the bill.
The Mindanao lawmaker stressed the necessity of developing new RE projects, citing the warning issued the other day by Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla of tight electricity supply in the first half of 2023.
The veteran lawyer-lawmaker said accelerating existing projects and finding new sources will eventually boost the country’s power supply.
Under the bill, RE resources include biomass, solar, wind, geothermal, ocean energy, and hydropower.
The bill seeks to abolish the Philippine National Oil Corp.-Renewables Corp. (PNOC-RC) and transfers its power, functions, projects, investments, funds, property and other assets, and personnel to the proposed PREC.
The envisioned new entity would also inherit the Agus-Pulangui Hydroelectric Power Plant complex and its facilities, which are currently operated and maintained by the National Power Corp.
The bill provides that the complex, consisting of seven power plants and located along the Agus and Pulangui rivers in Lanao and Bukidnon, shall be exempt from privatization. The plants generate about 1,000 megawatts of electricity.
“The plants shall be retained to generate buffer supply for Mindanao,” Rodriguez said.
