Empowering Energy Information Access: Launch of the REACH Platform and PEI Compendium of Distributed RE Projects
To support accessible, transparent, and comprehensive data on energy initiatives in the Philippines, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) and the Preferred Energy, Inc. launched two resources on April 4, 2025 in Quezon City: the Regional Energy and Climate Hub (REACH) Energy Transition Tracker and the Compendium of Distributed Renewable Energy Systems (DRES) in the Philippines. Tracking progress and identifying opportunities The REACH Energy Transition Tracker is a digital platform offering a comprehensive overview of the country’s energy landscape. Designed as a centralized resource, it allows users to access, explore, and analyze data on the Philippines' energy [...]
A rational energy policy for the Philippines [Inquirer]
by Alberto Dalusung III | March 21, 2025 | Published by Philippine Daily Inquirer | READ THE STORY HERE Energy is the backbone of economic growth and social progress. Yet, the Philippines faces a defining moment in its power trajectory—where rising electricity costs, recurring power shortages, and an outdated, baseload-centric grid threaten national stability and development. The choices we make today will determine whether we’d continue to struggle with an inefficient system, or embrace a future of clean, affordable, reliable, and secure energy. The energy trilemma presents a framework of three fundamental objectives that energy policymakers should balance: sustainability, [...]
ICSC: Panay blackouts signal urgent need to reevaluate the island’s energy system
QUEZON CITY, January 11, 2024 – Residents of Panay, the sixth largest island in the Philippines covering the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo, and parts of Guimaras experienced large-scale blackouts from January 2 to 5 caused by the tripping of major coal-fired power plants. Local governments and business groups from Panay and Guimaras islands have called for an investigation, demanding accountability from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), Department of Energy (DOE), and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to address the incident. At the Senate energy committee hearing on January 10, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas [...]
‘PHL needs distributed energy infra built on ample supply of renewables’ [Washington Post]
In the Washington Post story entitled "Clean-energy push puts abandoned Philippine nuclear plant back in spotlight" by Rebecca Tan and Jhesset Enano, published on January 25, 2023, Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC) energy transition advisor Alberto Dalusung III said: "It is costly to ensure that nuclear plants are safely operated in the Philippines, which, like Japan, is in a notoriously active seismic zone called the Ring of Fire. And when nuclear plants go offline, say because of a typhoon, the energy grid can be left crippled, causing brownouts. Instead of a few large power plants, the Philippines needs [...]
Power supply for elections, rest of Q2 2022 in critical state – ICSC report
QUEZON CITY, 8 February 2022 – A climate and energy policy group predicts an electricity shortfall across the Luzon grid this summer, especially during the weeks leading up to and immediately after the coming elections this May, in a new report released today. The report by the Institute of Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), entitled “Luzon Power Outlook: Determining the Adequacy of Power Supply for April to June 2022”, challenges projections of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) that the Philippines will have sufficient power supply in the second quarter of 2022. “Unreliable electricity supply would undermine [...]