Energy measures enabled RP to save P4B in 2009

THE PHILIPPINES SAVED some P4.4 billion in 2009 due largely to energy efficiency and conservation measures implemented by the government last year, according to the Department of Energy.

Documents from the DOE showed that the estimated energy displacement from its National Energy Efficiency and Conservation program reached some 140.9 million liters of oil equivalent (MMLOE) in 2009.

Meanwhile, the Government Energy Management Program (GEMP) enabled government agencies to save 47.7 MMLOE through reduction in both fuel and electricity consumption from September 2005 to September 2009. This was equivalent to about P1.45 billion in savings, the DOE said.

The DOE said it would aggressively continue pushing similar measures, which could help take some pressure off the country’s total energy demand, as well as promote the protection of the environment.

“The government’s energy efficiency campaign will also maximize energy efficiency opportunities in homes, commercial buildings, and the industrial and transport sectors,” the agency said.

In January last year, the DOE jump-started the Philippine Energy Efficiency Project (PEEP), which was expected “to provide direct economic benefits to the country by reducing energy peak demand and the need to import oil for power generation.”

With PEEP, the government expects to reduce peak power demand by 450 megawatts (MW), reduce oil imports by $120 million yearly, defer power generation by 1,300 MW—equivalent to $300 million, generate clean development mechanism (CDM) revenue of about $10 million over the next two years under the Kyoto Protocol, and create an energy efficient market. Amy R. Remo, Philippine Daily Inquirer