THE DEPARTMENT of Energy (DoE) on Thursday said 142 bidders have qualified for the fourth round of the Green Energy Auction (GEA-4), which aims to install 10,653 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy (RE) capacity across the country.
In an advisory, the agency said more than 230 bids were submitted for evaluation by the Green Energy Auction-Bids Evaluation and Awards Committee. The participants were screened based on technical, legal and financial qualifications.
“The selected companies have demonstrated the technical, legal, and financial capabilities necessary to participate and contribute to the Philippines’ long-term clean energy targets,” the DoE said.
Notable participants include some of the country’s biggest power developers — Citicore Renewable Energy Corp., San Miguel Global Power Holdings Corp., ACEN Corp., Aboitiz Power Corp., First Gen Corp., Basic Energy Corp., Alternergy Holdings Corp., NexGen Energy Corp. and PetroEnergy Resources Corp.
Citicore submitted the most bids among all qualified entities, with 27 project proposals.
GEA-4 is offering 9,553 MW of renewable energy capacity through ground-mounted, rooftop and floating solar, as well as onshore wind projects.
An additional 1,100 MW is allocated for solar projects integrated with energy storage systems, such as battery, flywheel or pumped hydro technologies — the first time such hybrid systems are included in the auction.
The auction supports the country’s push to develop RE as a primary energy source through a competitive selection process.
Under the Green Energy Auction, developers bid to supply a specific capacity at the lowest incentivized fixed rate, with winning projects expected to begin commercial operations from 2026 to 2029. Each contract will run for 20 years from the plant’s commercial start date.
A virtual pre-bid conference for all qualified entities is set for July 28. The auction itself will be conducted on Sept. 2, with results scheduled for release on Oct. 22.
Last month, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) released the Green Energy Auction Reserve prices, which will serve as the price ceilings for the bidding.
The ERC set a rate of P5.68 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for ground-mounted solar, P4.4832/kWh for rooftop solar and P6.5258/kWh for floating solar. Onshore wind projects have a ceiling of P6.0859/kWh, while solar-plus-storage systems are capped at P5.4028/kWh.
The GEA is a flagship initiative designed to help the Philippines hit its goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in the power mix from 22% to 35% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera