Alsons Power Group further strengthened its long-term commitment to renewable energy development by hosting a focused workshop with the Department of Energy (DOE) on the sunset provision of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) program for hydro power projects.
Organized by the Group’s Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, and Industry Relations (LRCIR) unit, the workshop in General Santos City brought together DOE officials and Alsons Power Group representatives to map out strategies ensuring continued private sector participation in the hydro power sector.
The FiT program, launched in 2012, is a government incentive scheme designed to encourage investments in renewable energy by guaranteeing eligible power producers a fixed rate for electricity generated over a set period. This framework has been key in accelerating the development of hydro, solar, wind, and biomass energy facilities nationwide.
The program is now being phased out as it was designed as a time-bound incentive with capacity caps to limit consumer costs. The Department of Energy is shifting toward market-based mechanisms, such as the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP), which allows developers to bid competitively for supply contracts, thereby encouraging lower power costs and reducing long-term subsidies.
DOE Hydropower & Ocean Energy Management Division (HOEMD) Division Chief Engr. Ariel Fronda (center, yellow shirt), with colleagues Engr. Xerxes Oliver Manuel and Engr. Angeles Bhon Rosal II, joined Alsons Power Group’s Atty. Lumen Balboa (Vice President and Head of LRCIR, 5th from left), Manolo Labor (Senior Manager for Government and Industry Relations, 4th from left), Atty. Andrea Magallon (Compliance and Risk Counsel/Assistant Manager, 3rd from left), and the Siguil Hydro Power Corporation team during the workshop.
“This workshop is an important platform for Alsons Power Group personnel to stay abreast of emerging energy policies and maintain open engagement with our regulators, particularly the DOE,”
said Balboa. “We intend to hold similar sessions as part of our capability enhancement and government relations initiatives.”
Following the workshop, DOE officials visited the SHPC plant in Maasim, Sarangani, which was recently awarded a FiT Certificate of Eligibility (FiT COE) for 14.6 MW. The SHPC facility is the first of at least eight run-of-river hydroelectric power plants that Alsons Power Group plans to develop in Mindanao and Negros Occidental.
As Mindanao’s first and most experienced independent power producer, Alsons Power Group continues to diversify its energy portfolio by increasing its renewable energy projects. Hydro power ventures, such as the SHPC plant, remain a cornerstone of the Group’s mission to deliver reliable, sustainable, and affordable energy to communities and businesses in Mindanao and the Visayas.
