Energy Import Dependency
Energy import dependency measures the share of the country’s total primary energy supply that is sourced from abroad. For the Philippines, this is a central policy concern: the country is a net energy importer, and import dependency has been rising since 2021, directly threatening energy security and price stability [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, pp.55–58, 2023].
Self-Sufficiency Trend
| Year | Self-Sufficiency | Net Imports (MTOE) | TPES (MTOE) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.8% | 28.9 | ~59.0 |
| 2022 | 49.4% | 31.1 | 61.6 |
| Change | −1.3 pp | +7.6% | +4.7% |
[PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, p.55, 2023]
Self-sufficiency fell for the second consecutive year in 2022, driven by faster growth in imported energy than in domestic production. The ARC Framework’s “Access to Affordable Energy” pillar explicitly targets reversing this trend through RE scale-up and reduced oil/coal import reliance. See ARC Framework .
Net Energy Imports by Fuel (2022)
Total net energy imports: 31.1 MTOE
| Fuel | Share | Volume (MTOE) | Change vs 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil and oil products | 62.5% | ~19.4 | +13.8% overall |
| Coal | 36.8% | ~11.4 | +4.7% |
| Ethanol (bioethanol) | 0.7% | ~0.2 | +22.9% |
[PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, p.57, 2023]
Oil Imports
Total oil imports: 21.3 MTOE (+13.8% from 18.7 MTOE)
- Crude oil: 5.8 MTOE (+46.0%) — driven by enhanced Petron Bataan refinery operations; crude sourced entirely from the Middle East
- Finished petroleum products: 15.4 MTOE (+5.1%) — South Korea, Singapore, and China are the top sources
Top oil import sources (finished products): South Korea, Singapore, China [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, p.57, 2023]
Coal Imports
Total coal imports: 17.3 MTOE (+4.7% from 16.5 MTOE)
- Indonesia: 97.7% of all Philippine coal imports — a single-source dependency
- Australia, Vietnam, Russia, and Thailand share the remaining 2.3% [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, p.57, 2023]
In physical volume terms, domestic coal production was 16.06 MMMT against total consumption of 36.14 MMMT in 2022 — a shortfall of approximately 20 MMMT covered by imports [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. II, p.10, 2023]. The DOE is actively pursuing diversification of coal import sources to reduce single-source exposure. See Upstream Coal Sector for the production breakdown and COC activity.
Indigenous Energy Production (2022)
Total indigenous production: 30.4 MTOE (+2.0%)
Domestic output is dominated by geothermal and biomass. Fossil fuel production is declining:
| Source | Indigenous Volume | Change | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geothermal | 9.0 MTOE | −2.4% | 29.5% of indigenous; 24 projects, 870.6 MW awarded |
| Biomass | 7.73 MTOE | +0.1% | 25.4% of indigenous; 611 MW installed |
| Coal (domestic) | 7.6 MTOE | +2.9% | Semirara Mining (Antique) = 99.5% of domestic coal |
| Hydro | 2.5 MTOE | +9.8% | 8.3% of indigenous; La Niña rainfall boost |
| Natural gas | 2.6 MTOE | −7.4% | Malampaya field in decline; GSPA expiry June 2022 |
| Oil (crude + condensate) | 0.4 MTOE | −8.7% | Galoc and Alegria fields declining |
| Solar | 156.7 kTOE | +24.0% | 0.3% of TPES; 1,530 MW installed |
| Wind | ~88 kTOE | −18.9% | 0.1% of TPES; 427 MW installed; derating |
[PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, pp.55–56, 2023]
Total Import and Export Picture
Total energy imports (gross): 38.7 MTOE Total energy exports: 4.4 MTOE
Top import markets (by volume):
| Country | Volume | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia | 16.9 MTOE | 43.6% |
| South Korea | 4.7 MTOE | 12.3% |
| Singapore | 3.4 MTOE | 8.9% |
| Saudi Arabia | 3.1 MTOE | 7.9% |
Top export markets:
| Country | Volume | Share |
|---|---|---|
| China | 2.2 MTOE | 48.6% |
| South Korea | 1.2 MTOE | 26.3% |
| Thailand | 0.4 MTOE | 8.6% |
[PEP 2023-2050 Vol. I, p.57, 2023]
Philippines exports primarily domestic coal and crude/condensate. China is the dominant coal export destination (55.8% of coal exports), with South Korea at 30.5%.
Strategic Implications
The import dependency profile creates several energy security risks:
- Coal sourcing concentration — 97.7% from Indonesia exposes the grid to supply shocks and price spikes from a single source
- Oil import cost — 62.5% of energy imports are oil; international price volatility (e.g., 2022 Russia-Ukraine impacts) directly raises domestic fuel prices
- Natural gas supply cliff — Malampaya depletion removes the country’s only domestic gas source over the medium term
- Declining domestic fossil fuel production — all three domestic fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal) are on declining trends
These risks are the supply-side rationale for the CES scenarios’ aggressive RE build-out and the Renewable Energy Targets 2023-2050 policy. See also Power Generation Mix (2022 Baseline) and Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) .