Vice presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. says the next administration should give priority to the building of more solar, wind and hydrogen power plants to address the country’s problematic power situation.
Marcos issued the statement in light of the Earth Day celebration today, urging the next leaders of the country to prioritize renewable energy program to ensure economic development while protecting the environment.
The frontrunner in the vice presidential race said he is personally pushing for a program that will encourage companies to set up more solar, wind and hydrogen power plants to address the power situation.
“This can be done by giving them additional perks on their investments and cutting bureaucratic red tape,” Marcos said.
Marcos said that when he was governor of Ilocos Norte, he initiated the construction of the first commercial wind farm in Southeast Asia in his province.
“We are very proud of that because we were the first one to build a commercial wind farm in Southeast Asia,” he said.
Because of his environment-friendly initiatives, Ilocos Norte now has a total of 264 MW capacity of renewable energy production, boosting the much needed power capacity in the Luzon grid.
“At present, more than 70 percent of the nation’s electricity is generated from fossil-fuels [petroleum, coal and natural gas]. Experts have predicted that if the country remains to be coal and oil-dependent, Filipinos should expect higher power costs because of the steady increase in the prices of these fossil fuels in the world market.”
The only solution, according to Marcos, is for the country to increase its renewable energy portfolio from the current 28 percent installed capacity.
Marcos also proposed that more support should be given for research and development on the right energy mix for the power sector.
“The country should look at the experiences of other countries on renewable energy to determine what kind of power source is applicable to the local setting.”
