The 5th Energy Transition Council (ETC) Philippine National Dialogue was recently held on the 2nd of December, organized by the British Embassy Manila and Department of Energy in partnership with Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and World Wide Fund Philippines (WWF-Philippines).
ETC is a global platform with over 40 governments and institutions offering global, political, financial, and technical leadership in the power sector, co-chaired by the United Kingdom and the Philippines. The ETC coordinates donor and development agencies to support partner countries’ clean energy transition. In line with this, ETC houses its Rapid Response Facility (ETC RRF) which provides technical assistance across eleven countries with the goal of decarbonising the power sector. It focuses on key thematic areas such as just transition, integrated energy planning, and investment (policy and instruments).
The Philippine National Dialogue
The Philippine National Dialogue featured achievements from ETC RRF-supported projects including the development of an Offshore Wind (OSW) Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) tool; a project led by ETP and delivered by BVG Associates.
The OSW MSP tool is critical in facilitating the development of the offshore wind and marine renewable energy sector. It directly contributes towards the reduction of uncertainties and potential challenges that may arise during project development stages by identifying, mapping, and scoring identified social, technical, and biodiversity factors sensitive to OSW. As a result of this mapping, the project was able to identify areas with high and low sensitivities, providing information necessary for sustainable and efficient OSW development within Luzon and Visayas island groups.
ETP’s Contribution to the Conversation
ETP’s Country Coordinator, Anna Dominique Ortiz presented an overview of the project highlighting the importance of an MSP tool in strategic and responsible OSW development. She emphasized that sustaining this progress requires robust interagency coordination for data access, further data-sharing, and enhancement of MSP tools through peer-review.
ETP Country Coordinator Yoshiko de Villa also contributed to a panel discussion centered on ETC’s strategic priorities for 2026, focusing on how regional cooperation and the Philippines’ regional leadership for its 2026 ASEAN chairmanship can accelerate the energy transition.
During the panel, Yoshiko highlighted the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program (APG-AP), a project led by ETP’s Regional Programme, which aims to accelerate the achievement of regional power trade in ASEAN with more renewable supplies.
ETP’s implementing partners, NIRAS Asia Manila, Aquatera Ltd, and Arthur D. Little also shared key highlights and lessons from our work on the Philippines’ OSW permitting and consenting framework, the marine renewable energy stocktake report, and the policy framework for voluntary renewable energy markets—strategic efforts driving a more robust, low-carbon Philippine power sector.
? Learn more about these projects through ETP’s website: www.energytransitionpartnership.org
