The government is addressing the need to increase power supply by reducing the volume of trash and has set a special green energy auction (GEA) on waste-to-energy (WTE) projects in January next year.

Department of Energy (DOE), in a press release Thursday, said the waste for the initial projects will be sourced from Metro Manila and in highly urbanized cities (HUCs), with the auction seen to be completed by the last quarter of 2027.

Citing data from the 2024 Solid Waste Generation of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), DOE said Metro Manila and HUCs produce an estimated 6.12 million metric tons of municipal solid waste, which is equivalent to 335 MW base load.

DOE said the Notice of Auction and Terms of Reference are set to be issued within October.

It said an auction for Biomass and WTE technologies is also being considered for the second quarter of next year, for projects all over the country.

“As an emerging renewable energy technology, WTE project development is one of the country’s strategies to address solid waste management, serve as flood control mitigation, and provide additional clean energy,” it explained

DOE said these measures are in line with the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) and the government’s bid to increase the share of renewable energy (RE) in the total mix to 35 percent by 2023 and 50 percent by 2040.

“The integration of WTE projects into the GEA framework underscores the DOE’s commitment to ensuring energy security, environmental protection, and private sector participation in the country’s transitioning to clean and sustainable energy,” it added. (PNA)