THE Philippines and New Zealand will continue to explore cooperation on geothermal energy.
This transpired as Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Ambassador Peter Kell signed the Second Amendment to the Arrangement on Geothermal Energy Cooperation between the two countries on November 5.
New Zealand previously provided the country with developing geothermal fields in Tongonan, Leyte and Southern Negros Geothermal in Negros Oriental—both of which are still in operation.
According to Cusi said this renewed interest for cooperation is aligned with the country’s push for indigenous energy as a power source.
“We welcome the formalization of the Second Amendment to the Arrangement on Geothermal Energy Cooperation, which comes at such an opportune time, considering that one of our primary goals is to revitalize the state of geothermal energy development and utilization in the Philippines,” the secretary said.
Under the agreement, there will be an exchange of best practices and technical expertise in the sector of geothermal energy.
The Department of Energy has also liberalized the local geothermal sector, as the government opened it to 100-percent foreign ownership to promote new energy sources. Kris Crismundo/PNA