Energy Columns in BusinessWorld

Nuclear energy and new DoE leadership May 29, 2025 | 12:02 am My Cup Of Liberty By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2025/05/29/675548/nuclear-energy-and-new-doe-leadership/   Among the important achievements of outgoing Department of Energy (DoE) Secretary Raphael PM Lotilla is building a strong legal and regulatory framework for nuclear energy, including pushing for the creation of the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (PhilATOM), plus submitting the necessary requirements for the ratification of existing nuclear energy-related agreements. Good job, Sir, although the Senate is slow to act on the PhilATOM bill.   The DoE also recently launched a series of Nuclear Energy Awareness Training (NEAT) seminars. The last one was held last week, May 20-22, at the Park Inn by Radisson in Quezon City, organized by the Nuclear Energy Program Inter-Agency Committee (NEP-IAC). The next NEAT is “Philippine Nuclear Energy 101: Powering the Future” on ...

Raising generation kWh per capita, not renewables May 20, 2025 | 12:02 am My Cup Of Liberty By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2025/05/20/673380/raising-generation-kwh-per-capita-not-renewables/   Last week, on May 15, I attended the press conference of the Department of Energy (DoE) presided by Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla. While the good secretary discussed many things, from EPIRA to energy mix and diversification, gas, hydrogen, nuclear and renewable energy (RE), and universal charge for missionary electrification (UC-ME), I noticed that two topics kept popping up — the targeted generation mix towards more RE, and electricity prices.   During the question-and-answer section, I suggested that instead of targeting X percent of RE by 2050 or so, we should target to raise our low power generation, from 1,000+ kilowatt hours (kWh) per capita in 2023 to 1,500, then 2,000 kWh per capita, and so on.   I computed the total power generation...

Nuclear energy and the Giga Summit April 29, 2025 | 12:02 am My Cup Of Liberty By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2025/04/29/668933/nuclear-energy-and-the-giga-summit/   Last week I attended two energy fora: the Power 101: Energy Security in times of La Niña and El Niño seminar for media on April 21-22, sponsored by Aboitiz Power (AP) and the Department of Energy (DoE), and the Giga Summit 2025: The Fusion of Power and Intelligence, on April 24-25, sponsored by the Meralco Power Academy (MPA).   In his closing remarks on Day 2, AP Vice-President for Corporate Affairs Suiee Suarez optimistically said that AP’s “strategy is to diversify its portfolio with renewables and selected baseload builds including energy storage systems, thereby helping overcome the shifts and shocks brought about by changes in the weather, season, and climate. We’ve always aspired to operate and manage our power plants with as much data driven foresight and operational excel...

Nuclear energy for sustained growth April 22, 2025 | 12:02 am My Cup Of Liberty By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2025/04/22/666951/nuclear-energy-for-sustained-growth/   This week I am attending two important energy fora. First is the “Power 101: Energy Security in times of La Niña and El Niño” seminar for media on April 21 and 22 at the Seda Hotel BGC, Taguig, which is sponsored by Aboitiz Power (AP) and the Department of Energy (DoE). The second is the “Giga Summit 2025: The Fusion of Power and Intelligence,” on April 24 and 25 at The Fifth at Rockwell Center, Makati, and sponsored by the Meralco Power Academy. It will feature over 30 local and international experts on nuclear power and AI.   On Day 1 of Power 101, Suiee Suarez, AP Vice-President for Corporate Affairs gave a welcome message with a realistic point of view, noting that “our energy supply is subject to stresses due to variability of weather, seasons and climate cycles; demand als...

Spain’s blackout and lessons for the Philippines May 6, 2025 | 12:02 am My Cup Of Liberty By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2025/05/06/670391/spains-blackout-and-lessons-for-the-philippines/   The big blackout that hit Spain, Portugal, and parts of southern France on April 28 starting 12:35 p.m. was a big blackeye to pushers of more intermittent renewables in the electrical grid.   According to energy analyst Javier Blas’ data, at 12:30 p.m. of April 28, Spain’s generation mix was: solar (photovoltaic and thermal) 65.8%, wind 12%, nuclear 11.6%, cogeneration and waste 4.7%, and gas combined cycle 3.4%, likely working as an ancillary service. Coal is zero because the socialist government of Spain shut down the last coal plant in 2024. So intermittent solar-wind was providing nearly 78% of the power just five minutes before the blackout. Even with batteries, these technologies do not have the inertia needed to keep the electricity flowing, unlike t...

China energy and infra innovations April 3, 2025 | 12:02 am My Cup Of Liberty By Bienvenido S. Oplas, Jr. https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2025/04/03/663424/china-energy-and-infra-innovations/   BEIJING — The other day I rode on the world’s fastest train, and I was amazed by its speed and comfort. My hosts brought me to Hebei province by car, across many big mountains and hills, to see a big pumped hydro project, then coming back we took the train from Chengde to Beijing.   On that trip I saw many things. Nine road tunnels one way alone, the longest nearly three kilometers-long, and coming back we entered a five kilometers-long tunnel. Smooth, wide, and well-paved toll roads and provincial roads. Few flat agricultural lands that competed with industrial, commercial, and residential land, so there were many greenhouse farms to optimize land use. And from the toll roads I saw decent rural farmers houses, no barung-barung-style houses and no hand tractors, only medium-size to...