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RECOGNIZING that world oil prices continue to skyrocket
day after day, Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes said the
Philippines is determined to speed up the exploration
and development of indigenous oil and gas resources,
develop renewable energy potential and increase the use
of alternative fuels.
“The
Philippines’ energy program targets to enhance energy
efficiency and conservation and form strategic alliances
with other countries for energy complementation and
technology exchange,” Reyes said in his speech at the
recent Lagos Economic Summit in Africa.
Reyes
said the summit was organized by the Nigerian government
to enable it to learn from other countries in order to
position Lagos as Africa’s model megacity.
Nigeria’s
former capital, Lagos, is its most populous city with a
growth rate of 5 percent, but is plagued with problems
such as lack of access to clean water and the
proliferation of slums with no access to electricity.
Reyes,
who was invited to the summit as guest speaker, said
that there are certain similarities in the energy
situation of the Philippines and Nigeria such as high
energy costs and tariff structure, uneven distribution
of energy infrastructure and reliability and security of
power supply.
Reyes
noted the key differences between the two countries,
which give rise to different directions in energy
policy.
“By
contrast to Nigeria, which is the largest oil producer
in Africa, the Philippines’ oil reserves and oil
production constitute only a mere 0.4 percent and 1
percent of Nigerian levels, respectively,” said the
Philippine energy chief.
Reyes
also outlined the Philippine government’s Medium-Term
Philippine Development Plan where energy is one of the
fundamental items, and also discussed that the main
reforms in the country’s energy sector is aimed at
attaining energy independence by 2010 and restructuring
the power sector.
Reyes
further highlighted the country’s push for renewable
energy amid rising oil prices and the issue of climate
change. “The government is facilitating the transition
of our energy sector to a sustainable system by
developing renewable energy as a viable and competitive
fuel option,” he said.
Fortunately, according to Reyes, geographic circumstance
has made the Philippines a potential center of renewable
energy development.
Reyes
pointed out that the Philippine power sector has
gradually veered away from dependence on imported
oil-based generation. In 2001 the country was using 21
percent of its supply requirement from oil-based
generation facilities. From 2006 to 2007, this figure
went down to below 10 percent.
“While
the Lagos government can learn from the Philippines’
experience in developing the energy sector, it also has
to be prudent to always imagine ourselves running a
marathon, not a sprint…as much of the interventions in
energy are long-term in nature,” Reyes said. |
