FiT extension for biomass, hydro sought

The proposal came after installation of some 250 MW of hydro power has yet to be fully-subscribed

The National Renewable Energy Board (NREB) is looking to propose for the extension of the feed-in tariff (FiT) deadline for both biomass and run-of-river hydroelectricity until the second quarter of next year.

In a chance interview on the sidelines of a Senate hearing on Tuesday, NREB chairman of the board Monalisa Dimalanta said the agency will propose to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi to extend the deadline by another six months from the original timeline of 31 December 2019.

“We’ll make (a request) to the (Energy) Secretary to accommodate both the extension on timeline for run-of-river hydro and the excess capacity within the timeline for biomass,” Dimalanta said.

“We’ll formalize our request… to accommodate all the capacity that will be tested for FiT eligibility,” she added.

The proposal came after installation of some 250 megawatts (MW) of hydro power has yet to be fully-subscribed.

Meanwhile, the installation of another 250 MW for biomass power has already exceeded by 100 MW.

Dimalanta said full subscription for hydro power was likely but noted the developers might not be able to conclude testing.

A board meeting is slated this week to tackle the matter.

Cusi in July said he was open to extending the FiT allocation for the two renewable energy resources until 31 December this year from the original deadline of end-2017 at the request of RE developers.

Certificates of confirmation of commerciality were also issued to RE developers, which are needed for projects covered by RE operating contracts under the FiT scheme.

The FiT program was crafted under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which gives incentives to developers for 20 years in a bid to hasten the development of RE resources.