How much has Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr advanced his country’s renewable energy ambitions?
The Philippines still relies heavily on coal, which accounted for nearly 60 per cent of its electricity generation in 2022.

Climate activists say a direct transition to renewable energy instead of using natural gas in the interim benefits a climate-vulnerable country like the Philippines.
BATAAN, Philippines: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr inherited a coal-dependent Philippine power generation mix from his predecessors when he took office a year ago.
Since then, he has made renewable energy one of the priorities for the country, opening up the sector to foreign investors. A rule that energy assets need to be owned by Filipinos was eased in late 2022, allowing more foreign companies to enter the Philippines' energy sector.
As a result, the country will see a 15-fold increase in combined solar and wind power by 2030.
But the Philippines still relies heavily on coal, which accounted for nearly 60 per cent of its electricity generation in 2022. Renewable energy, oil-based and natural gas power generation trail behind.
People in the Philippines have a history of paying some of the highest electricity rates in Southeast Asia, ranking second in this region and third across Asia.
Mr Marcos Jr believes a transition fuel is needed before the country starts using renewable energy.
“In the move to lowering our carbon footprint caused by energy production, our advancement to renewables will have a lead time. In the interim, natural gas will hold the key,” he said at his first State of Nation address last year.
TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY
However, climate activists like lawyer Aaron Pedrosa told CNA a direct transition to clean energy benefits a climate-vulnerable country like the Philippines.
“It makes no business sense to continue investing in fossil fuel projects, in false solutions. Instead, think about the survival of humanity, especially of countries in the global south like the Philippines,” said Mr Pedrosa, secretary-general of clean energy advocates Sanlakas.
The Philippines' power issues go beyond costs, with basic access also an issue. Across the country, 188 towns remained off-grid as of 2021.
Most of these towns are on the main island of Luzon, which accounts for some 70 per cent of the country’s economy.
The nature of the Philippines archipelago poses a challenge to power distribution, said economist Alvin Ang.
He noted that while the country has hydro, geothermal and wind energy, the challenges are their sustainability and the capacity to link the systems.
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“In an archipelago like the Philippines, it's very important to take advantage of renewables because the difference in the islands, in the interconnectivity would be very expensive to maintain and sustain,” said Dr Ang, chair at the Ateneo de Manila University Economics Department.
THE POSSIBILITY OF NUCLEAR POWER
Mr Marcos Jr announced weeks after taking office last year that he would revisit an opportunity in nuclear power.
“I believe that it is time also to re-examine our strategy towards building nuclear power plants in the Philippines,” he said at the time.
The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was initiated by his late father, former president Ferdinand Marcos, but the project was dogged by scandal and safety concerns.
In 2009, foreign nuclear experts assessed the viability of and repair costs for the power plant. The South Korean experts found that at that point in time, it would take about three to four years and US$1 billion to rehabilitate it.
Preserving this nuclear power plant, even when it is not in operation to produce power, cost the Philippine government over US$800,000 in 2021 alone.
Mr Marcos Jr’s decision on whether or not to rehabilitate the plant is still up in the air.