PH, New Zealand to continue cooperation on geothermal energy

MANILA – The Philippines and New Zealand will continue to explore cooperation on geothermal energy.

This as Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Alfonso Cusi and New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Kell signed the Second Amendment to the Arrangement on Geothermal Energy Cooperation between the two countries on Friday.

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,” he added.

Under the agreement, there will be an exchange of best practices and technical expertise in the sector of geothermal energy.

New Zealand previously provided the country with developing geothermal fields in Tongonan, Leyte, and Southern Negros Geothermal in Negros Oriental, which are still operating.

The DOE has also liberalized the geothermal sector as the government opened it to 100-percent foreign ownership to promote new energy sources.