Philippines DOE, UPSCRFI renew partnership on GPDP 2

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the University of the Philippines Statistical Center Research Foundation (UPSCRFI) have inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the second phase of the Gas Policy Development Project (GPDP 2).

This comes after the success of the first GPDP initiative.

The Gas Policy Development Project (GPDP) aims to provide technical assistance to the Philippine Department of Energy (DOE) in implementing the Philippine Downstream Natural Gas Regulation (PDNGR).

The project wants to:

1. Strengthen the capacity to implement the circular with particular focus on best practices to evaluate natural gas-related project applications;
2. Recommend technical, economic, and financial guidelines, criteria, and systems that could be used as a reference to evaluate project proposals for LNG facilities;
3. Extend technical support to the DOE on the review of proposals, following guidelines developed under number 2 above;
4. Provide an improved understanding of the LNG industry through research on key topics; and
5. Provide policy recommendations on the PDNGR, Downstream Natural Gas Industry Act, and related bills.

The first phase of the project was implemented from September 2018 to January 2020. It provided technical assistance to the DOE in the implementation of the PDNGR. The project produced several milestones for the Philippine energy sector during its implementation.

The agreement is signed in order to continue the efforts and initiatives of GPDP 1.

The technical assistance that GPDP 2 will be providing includes capacity building, research activities, and policy development to boost the country’s natural gas sector.

UPSCRFI, through GPDP 2, is expected to update the natural gas industry roadmap with the DOE. This roadmap is expected to set the course on the advancement of the PDNGR.

The GPDP 2 is implemented by the UPSCRFI under the general theme, Energy Policy and Development Program II, through a cooperative agreement entered with the U.S. Department of State (USDS) in September 2020 under the U.S. Asia EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy) initiative.

The Project covers capacity-building activities, the provision of technical advice and guidance to implement PDNGR, the conduct of research on the natural gas industry in the Philippines, and assistance in the improvement of PDNGR-related policies.