Rules for sourcing renewable power expected in July — NREB

THE National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) aims next month to endorse to the Department of Energy (DoE) the long-delayed rules on renewable portfolio standards (RPS), which will require distribution utilities and other industry participants to source a portion of their power supply from eligible renewable energy resources.

“For our target, by end of June we will finish one public consultation and by July we’ll endorse it to the secretary,” said NREB Chairman Jose M. Layug, Jr. in a recent interview.

Aside from the standards, he said the board is also scheduled to endorse to DoE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi rules on “green energy options.”

“It basically grants the captive customer the option to tell his DU (distribution utility] that he wants to buy power from RE (renewable energy),” he said.

The standards are called for by Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which provides a policy for the state to increase the use of renewables. Its implementing rules and regulations placed an obligation on electric power industry participants such as generators, distribution utilities or suppliers to source or produce a specified fraction of their electricity from eligible renewable energy resources.

Mario C. Marasigan, who heads the Department of Energy’s (DoE) renewable energy management bureau, said the public consultation for the renewables rules should be within the week. But he said rules on the green energy option would most likely come out ahead.

“The green energy option is on the final stage of drafting the right regulation,” he said, adding that the draft is set for submission to the DoE.

Mr. Marasigan, who also sits on the NREB board, said there will be limited changes to the renewable standards rules posted by the DoE under the previous administration. —