THE COUNTRY’S power system requires sourcing up to 80% of its electricity from baseload or largely coal-fired power facilities, while 17% is needed from mid-merit plants and only 3% from peaking plants or those that run when there is high demand, officials of the Department of Energy (DoE) said.

“We would like to emphasize that what we need is baseload, which are mostly reliable, roughly 80%,” said DoE Undersecretary Felix William B. Fuentebella on the sidelines of an industry forum.

“But it’s moving,” he added, referring to a preliminary analysis of the country’s power system requirement.

Mr. Fuentebella identified natural gas-fired power sources as the “most versatile” as these mid-merit plants are able to adjust their electricity output as demand varies throughout the day.

Richie R. Pilares, DoE spokesperson, said the department is planning to build an “appropriate portfolio of installed and dependable power capacities for baseload, mid-merit and peaking requirements.”

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