The Department of Energy plans to bid out 19 pre-determined areas with a combined renewable energy capacity of over 246.25 megawatts under the Open and Competitive Selection Process 4 from June to August this year.
DOE Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said this is an investment promotion mechanism where potential areas for RE development or pre-determined areas will be offered to private investors.
“These PDAs have sufficient technical data for geothermal, hydropower and wind energy,” Guevara said.
“A circular providing the list of these PDAs, including the guidelines for the conduct of OCSP4, and the approval of winning entities are targeted in the coming months,” Guevara said.
She said the bidding process would be held from June to August, while the awarding of the contracts is expected in September.
The DOE already approved 19 PDAs to be offered under the OCSP4.
These include three PDAs for geothermal with combined potential capacity of 160 MW incuding the Buguias-Tinoc geothermal project IN Ifugao (100 MW), Mabini geothermal project in Batangas (40 MW) and Mt. Sembrano geothermal project in Rizal and Laguna (20 MW).
The DOE is offering 13 PDAs for hydropower development totaling 86.25 MW, the biggest of which is the 16.3-MW Carac-an hydro project in Surigao del Sur.
The agency identified three PDAs for wind power development in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija; Pantabanga, Nueva Ecija; and Bagac, Bataan with a yet to be determined potential capacity.
It held OCSP 3 in January 2021, where five geothermal areas and 17 hydro areas were offered for private sector participation. The projects offered under OCSP 4 are distinct and separate from the Green Energy Auction Program.
The DOE plans to auction a total of 11,610 MW under the GEAP 2 covering the 2024 to 2026 supply period in June.
“OCSP are those who are pre-determined areas that have technical studies and mostly from terminated projects. GEAP is open to all areas feasible for RE generation,” DOE assistant secretary Mylene Capongcol said.
GEAP is auctioned with a GEA reserve price, a replacement of the feed-in tariff.