DOE launches third open, competitive selection process for RE projects

The Department of Energy (DOE) said Thursday it has kicked off the beginning of the third Open and Competitive Selection Process (OCSP3) in a bid to accelerate the development of renewable energy (RE) in the country.

The OCSP3 was launched through a pre-submission conference led by the DOE's Renewable Energy Management Bureau conducted Tuesday, January 5, according to the DOE.

Under the OCSP3, the Energy department said a total of 22 predetermined areas (PDAs) covering potential geothermal and hydropower resources have been identified and were presented to the various stakeholders during the launch.

The said PDAs consist of 17 potential hydro projects and five geothermal projects which have a total potential capacity of about 150 megawatts (MW) and will be offered to qualified RE developers.

The DOE said the PDAs have sufficient available technical data to serve as initial reference by those who are interested to acquire rights to develop the RE resources.

Based on the timelines, the last day of submission of bid documents for OCSP3 will be on February 15, 2021 and followed by the opening of the said documents.

The DOE said the target contract awarding for non-Financial and Technical Assistance (FTAA) projects will be on April 14, 2021 while those covered by the FTAA will be endorsed to the Office of the President for approval by April 19, 2021.

The Energy department also emphasized that many opportunities await the RE investors “considering that all policies to support the market for RE are now in place and implemented such as the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), the Enhanced Net Metering and the RE Market establishment.”—AOL, GMA News