MANILA, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The Philippines' annual coal imports could rise 16 percent over the next 10 years to 17.6 million tonnes, a senior energy official said on Wednesday.
The government is counting on several coal-based energy projects to boost a precarious power supply, but at the same is working on a new energy plan supporting clean fuels.
Annual domestic demand for coal is projected to rise around 50 percent to 30.5 million tonnes, while annual local output will increase 55 percent to 12.9 million tonnes, government forecasts presented at an industry conference showed.
By 2030, the Department of Energy expects annual coal demand to hit 35 million tonnes, with imports reaching 22 million tonnes.
"Coal will continue to be an important part of our energy mix as we expect more coal-fired power plants to be constructed," Ismael Ocampo, director of the Energy Resource Development Bureau, which is under the DOE, said at the conference.
Coal imports last year hit a record 15.2 million tonnes, mainly from Indonesia, the world's top supplier of thermal coal, with local consumption soaring to an all-time high of 20 million tonnes. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N10U225
Domestic output averages 8 million tonnes a year, which could grow if the country's untapped coal resources, estimated at about 2.4 billion tonnes, attract more mine developers, said Arnulfo Robles, executive director of the Philippine Chamber of Coal Mines.
Coal currently accounts for about 34 percent of the country's installed power capacity, against 18 percent for oil, 17 percent for natural gas and 31 percent for renewables.
The government's energy plan could see the Philippines generating a third of its electricity each from natural gas, coal and renewables between 2016 and 2040. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N12R43O