DOE targets 25 GW renewable energy capacity boost by 2035

The Department of Energy (DOE) is targeting to add at least 25 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy (RE) capacity to the country's power mix by 2035.

During the Renewable Energy Investment Forum in Taguig City on Friday, DOE-Renewable Energy Management Bureau Director Marissa Cerezo announced the agency's 10-year Green Energy Auction (GEA) Program which will offer 25 GW of renewable energy capacity through annual competitive auctions beginning 2026.

The 10-year GEA plan is in line with the government's aim to increase the RE's share to the country's power mix to 35% by 2030 and to 50% by 2040.

For 2026 up to 2027 alone, the Energy Department is targeting to auction over 8 GW in new RE capacity.

For the upcoming auction rounds, the DOE outlined the technologies to be offered.

In particular, GEA-6 will auction onshore wind and floating solar, while GEA-7 will cover rooftop solar, as well as solar plus battery energy storage systems (BESS) in collaboration with the Mindanao Development Authority. 

For GEA-8, the DOE will include solar on stilts with the Department of Agriculture, AgriSolar with the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture, and canal-top solar with the National Irrigation Administration. 

Finally, GEA-9 will cover biomass, geothermal, solar, hydropower, and onshore wind. 

Under the upcoming GEA rounds, the DOE is targeting at least 3,200 MW of solar (excluding floating solar) across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, as well as 85 MW of rooftop solar in Visayas and Mindanao. 

Moreover, 5,565 MW of additional technologies are targeted for delivery from 2028 to 2035. 

Meanwhile, the succeeding auctions for the remaining capacities in the 25 GW target will be scheduled based on the availability of ready projects covered by RE Contracts or Certificates of Award, power-supply-demand scenarios, grid conditions, among others.

"By preparing a clear, auction-backed pipeline, we are giving developers and financial institutions the market visibility they need to plan, mobilize capital, and deliver projects on schedule," Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said. 

"Our objective is simple: translate investor interest into reliable, affordable, and cleaner power that Filipinos can feel—through projects that are real, buildable, and delivered on time. As the Philippines accelerates toward its targets of 35% renewable energy share by 2030 and 50% by 2040, clarity in how power is sold, priced, and monetized becomes just as critical as how it is generated," Garin said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News