The Portuguese government is interested in collaborating with the Philippines on renewable energy generation and alternative fuels like hydrogen, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
The DOE on Tuesday said initial discussions were made during the courtesy visit of Portuguese Foreign Minister João Gomes Cravinho last week.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said Cravinho particularly cited the interest of Energias de Portugal (EDP) and EDP Renewables (EDPR) to invest in the country’s renewable energy projects as the Portuguese firms eye expanding their presence in Southeast Asia through investments in the Philippines.
EDP is a Portuguese utilities company generating 74 percent of its energy requirements from RE sources and aims to be 100 percent green by 2030.
EDPR was established to manage, operate and invest in the renewable assets portfolio of EDP and currently the world’s fourth largest wind energy producer and a global leader in onshore wind farms.
Lotilla at the meeting bared other possible areas of cooperation such as the development of offshore wind and floating solar, hydrogen and ammonia production using RE, liquefied natural gas importation and improvement of transmission and distribution lines in the Philippines to support economic development and energy transition.
Lotilla also expressed interest in the experience of Portugal in repurposing and incentivizing its transition from coal-fired power plants by using alternative fuels such as co-firing with hydrogen or ammonia.
The DOE said the envisioned partnership may help the Philippines understand Portugal’s experience in the decommissioning of its two-remaining coal-fired power plants, indicating that a coal exit is possible through a combination of carbon pricing, renewable energy investment and transition planning.
