PH banks seek policy guide on financing shift to ‘green energy’ projects
by Myrna Velasco | August 25, 2021 | Published by Manila Bulletin | READ THE STORY HERE Energy officials have been casting the country as a ‘mecca for green energy investments’, but one vital anchor to that is project financing, hence, major local banks are seeking policies that will guide them on the shift of financial flows to clean energy ventures. In a virtual forum convened by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC), domestic bank giants BDO Capital Investment Corporation and the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) sounded off that funneling massive scale of financing to green [...]
China’s Investment Opportunity in Modernizing Grids in Climate Vulnerable Developing Countries
by Sara Jane Ahmed, Alberto Dalusung III, and Xiaojun Wang | June 1, 2021 | Abridged version published in China Energy News and People's Daily | READ OP ED HERE The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work closely to support grid enhancements, system flexibility and sector-coupling in China and IRENA’s Clean Energy Corridor regions. The agreement aims to advance the global energy transformation towards a net zero energy future particularly in developing countries, in the context of achieving the Paris Agreement objectives and [...]
Owning the sun
Lifting the 60/40 equity yoke on Renewable Energy investments, as advocated by DOE Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, sparks an interesting debate on the ownership limits for RE. By Pedro Maniego Jr. | Published in Business Mirror - September 19, 2020 I’M looking at allowing 100-percent investment or ownership in renewables.” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi made this bold statement during an online forum of the Philippine Energy Independence Council in July. Cusi was also quoted having said he is “hoping it could be done with a circular through DOE, but if not, I will go through legislation. [...]
Coal dying or dead in PH?
The Philippines can either attract $20 billion in renewable energy investments over the next 10 years, or be left with $20 billion of stranded [coal] assets, IEEFA energy finance analyst Sara Jane Ahmed said on ANC's Dateline Philippines on March 6, 2020. (Reporting from Dateline Philippines/ ANC)
Is coal dying, or dead, in the Philippines?
Reposted from BusinessMirror, read original article here. By Viking Logarta & Sara Jane Ahmed Yes to the first, and a nuanced no to the second. President Duterte said in his State of the Nation Address last year: “We recognize the urgent need to ensure the sustainability and availability of resources, and the development of alternative ones. In this regard, I trust that Secretary Cusi shall fast-track also the development of renewable-energy sources, and reduce dependence on the traditional energy sources, such as coal.” The Department of Energy (DOE) is not only aware of this growing dependence and growing grid [...]