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The
PEP 2005 Update is anchored on the five-point
national development agenda as set forth in the
2004-2010 Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan (MTPDP),
one of which is the attainment of energy
independence.
This
over-arching objective is further specified into
two-fold energy sector agenda to wit: pursuit of
energy independence; and, implementation of power
market reforms. The planning parameters of the PEP
2005 Update include: a) low economic Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) growth targets set by the
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA),
i.e., the ranges of 4.9 to 6.5 percent from 2004 to
2007; 6.8 to 7.0 percent from 2008 to 2010; the 6.5
percent growth rate from 2011 to 2014 is based on
the average growth rate of the 2005-2010 forecast of
NEDA; b) foreign exchange rates as provided by the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas of Php 55.00/USD in
2004-2005 and Php 55.50/USD for 2006-2010; the DOE
extended the 2010 level of Php 55.50/USD for the
period 2011-2014; and c) population growth
projections of the National Statistics Office of 2.0
percent in 2001-2004 and by 1.9 percent from 2005
onwards.
With
energy independence as its theme, this Update calls
for the development of the country's indigenous
energy resources and promotion of clean technologies
to sustain energy-efficient energy supply and demand
chains that will eventually lead to
increased self-reliance and provide the much-needed
boost to the country's economic front. The DOE has
set forth a goal of 60 percent self-sufficiency
level in 2010, and hopes to achieve this by:
§
Increasing indigenous oil and gas reserves
§ Aggressively developing renewable energy
resources
§ Increasing the use of alternative fuels
§ Forging strategic alliances with other
countries
§ Promoting a strong energy efficiency and
conservation program
On
the other hand, the implementation of power market
reforms
includes a transparent privatization process of the
generating assets of the National Power Corporation
(NPC) and the transmission assets of the National
Transmission Corporation (TransCo). The planned
operationalization of the Wholesale Electricity Spot
Market (WESM), the electricity trading mechanism
among generators, suppliers and wholesale consumers,
will be implemented in phases, starting with Luzon
and Visayas in 2006. Industries and consumer groups
will benefit from the open access scheme in the
competitive generation market, and provide them with
the flexibility to choose their electricity
suppliers at the least possible cost. These efforts
will thereby create an investment climate attractive
to private domestic and foreign investments.
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