President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. greenlighted the plan of the Energy department to explore and develop the country’s offshore wind (OSW) potential as a source of clean and sustainable energy.
 
Before departing to Cambodia, Marcos instructed DOE Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla and other energy officials to move forward with the agency’s offshore wind energy production initiatives.
 
DOE officials earlier proposed the creation of an Offshore Wind Development and Investment Council, composed of relevant government agencies that will serve as a one-stop shop for OSW developers.
The President is in favor of the proposal but maintained the DOE should handle the regulatory functions “It should be the Department of Energy who should be talking with the OSW developers, in consultation with the council, of course. It has to be led by the DOE/”
 
The DOE also reported to the President there are currently 42 approved offshore wind contracts with an indicated capacity of 31,000 Megawatts (MW), noting a strong interest from the private sector, especially from countries considered leaders in offshore wind technology such as Denmark, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
 
Based on the World Bank’s OSW Roadmap, the Philippines can deploy 40 Gigawatts of OSW electricity by 2050.
 
“This is more than enough to cover the 500,000 MW projected peak demand the country will require by 2040 based on DOE’s medium to long-term power outlook,” Lotilla told the President.
 
Apart from addressing the country’s energy needs, Lotilla said the power generated by OSW projects can also be used to produce alternative fuels, such as Green Hydrogen.
 
The DOE has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Japanese and an Australian firm to expedite hydrogen research.
 
Pending the release of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, the DOE is slated to release short-term action plans from 2022–2024 to guide the energy sector during this period.