The Philippines will auction 25 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity over the next 12 months as it works to raise the share of clean power to 35% by 2030, The Philippine Star reported on October 10.

Renewables supply around 25% of the country's energy mix. Coal is still the largest source of electricity, and natural gas contributes about 14%. The government would need to add roughly 10 percentage points of renewable share in the remaining years of the decade to meet its goal.

"Our target is to reach 35 percent by 2030. We are very confident that we will reach that (target) because of all the programs that we have," Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said at a forum hosted by the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines on October 9, The Philippine Star reported.

Garin said the capacity on offer through new green energy auction (GEA) rounds is scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2035. The Department of Energy (DOE) expects the auctions to draw fresh investment into the sector.

The coming rounds will go beyond conventional projects. They will include elevated solar arrays mounted on stilts, agri-solar systems, panels built over canals, biomass and geothermal. The DOE also sees openings in onshore wind, floating and rooftop solar, and solar farms paired with battery storage.

"Why do we have so many of these new developments? Because our policies are catching up with the new technology," Garin said.

The first four GEA rounds awarded about 20 GW of capacity, and most of the committed projects are now running. Some contracts, however, were affected by the DOE's crackdown on non-performing contracts.

Several bidding processes are running at the same time this year. These include a special round for waste-to-energy plants and GEA-5, which covers fixed-bottom offshore wind.

"Energy resiliency remains a priority," Garin said. "Resiliency is ultimately about protecting lives, safeguarding economic activity and ensuring that energy remains available when our people need it most."