First Gen Corporation president and chief operating officer Francis Giles Puno has urged closer coordination between the government and private sector to ensure the Philippines’ transition to renewable energy (RE) delivers reliable, sustainable and affordable electricity to consumers.
Speaking at the opening of the 4th Philippine Renewable Energy Conference in Parañaque City on Wednesday, Puno emphasized that the success of the country’s energy transition should be measured not only by achieving renewable energy targets but also by improvements in electricity services.
The government aims to increase renewable energy’s share in the country’s power generation mix to 35 percent by 2030, with its share already reaching 25 percent in 2025 amid the continued development of RE projects.
Puno said consumers experience the benefits of renewable energy through the reliability, accessibility and quality of electricity services rather than through percentage targets alone.
“That is why renewable energy targets cannot be our only measure of progress. We also have to ask whether we are building enough power for a growing economy, whether the system is becoming more reliable, whether our industries can remain competitive, and whether customers are gaining greater access to cleaner energy,” he said.
He stressed that sustainability and reliability must go hand in hand to meet consumer demand while addressing long-term environmental challenges.
“Sustainability without reliability does not meet the needs of customers; reliability without continued decarbonization does not meet the longer-term challenge before us. The job is to build a secure energy system capable of delivering both,” Puno said.
The First Gen executive also highlighted the importance of stronger cooperation among government agencies, energy companies, investors and consumers in accelerating the country’s shift toward cleaner energy sources.
“The Philippine energy transition will ultimately be shaped by thousands of decisions across that system: what we build, finance, regulate, connect and choose to consume. None will determine our energy future on its own. Together, they will,” he said.
“And if we make those choices well, they can compound into something much larger: a power system that is cleaner, more reliable, more secure and more competitive, and capable of supporting the economy we want the Philippines to become,” he added.
Puno emphasized that coordinated efforts across the energy sector would be crucial to building a power system capable of supporting economic growth while reducing dependence on carbon-intensive energy sources.
