PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III Section E (pp. 58–65): International Cooperation — Trade Agreements, Bilateral Relations, IOs/DPs

Status: operative
Confidence: high
Effective date: 2023

Pages 58–65 of Volume III cover the Philippines’ international engagement on energy — trade agreements, bilateral partnerships, and support from international organizations and development partners.

Trade Agreements

EO 10 (coal zero-duty): Reduced tariff on coal imports to zero to moderate energy costs [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.58, 2023].

EO 12 (EV tariff reduction): Reduced tariff on EVs to 5% for 5 years to lower EV prices and support EVIDA goals [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.58, 2023].

RCEP: Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership — ratified by the Philippine Senate via Resolution 485 (February 22, 2023); EO 25 (May 7, 2023) implemented its provisions. The agreement covers goods, services, investment, and intellectual property — relevant to RE equipment imports and energy technology transfer [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.58, 2023].

ASEAN-UK Dialogue Partnership: Established August 2022; covers energy cooperation as part of broader economic engagement [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.58, 2023].

ASEAN-Canada FTA: Launched November 17, 2021; proposed to include an Environment Chapter with energy transition provisions [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.58, 2023].

Bilateral Agreements

PH-US: Two instruments signed at CERAWeek 2022 in Houston, Texas — (1) NCMOU (MOU on Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation, non-legally binding) and (2) CEDI (Clean Energy Demand Initiative) Letter of Intent. These preceded and set the political stage for the formal 123 Agreement signed November 2023. See Nuclear Energy Program (Philippines) and Philippines–US 123 Agreement (2023) [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.59, 2023].

PH-France: MOU signed June 20, 2023 between Hydrogène de France (HDF), NPC, and Mindanao Development Authority (MinDa). MOU covers RE and hydrogen development in SPUG islands and Mindanao [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.60, 2023].

PH-Hungary: 2021 MOU on nuclear energy education and training; Hungary also participates in the NEP-IAC process [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.60, 2023].

PH-India: Draft MOU between DOE and India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) on RE cooperation [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.60, 2023].

PH-Indonesia: Draft MOU between DOE and Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) — replaces an expired predecessor agreement [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.60, 2023].

PH-Saudi Arabia: Proposed MOU on oil and gas cooperation [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.60, 2023].

PH-Qatar: Proposed MOU on energy cooperation [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.60, 2023].

PH-UAE: Proposed MOU on energy transition cooperation [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.61, 2023].

International Organizations and Development Partners

DREAMS Project — GEF+UNDP, USD 5.2M, 2016–2023. Fully completed (operational closure Dec 31, 2023). Enabled NREP 2020-2040 and RER platform; 18 local RE installations via SF4RE. See DREAMS Project (Development for RE Applications Mainstreaming and Market Sustainability) [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.62, 2023].

USAID Energy Secure Philippines (USAID-ESP): Target mobilization of USD 750M in clean energy investment; USD 7.5M in grants. Contributions include: Supplemental ERP formulation, ERS design, ESEOC establishment, Energy Sector Cybersecurity (2023-2025 roadmap), solar Monitoring and Evaluation System (MES, launching 2024). Active 2023–2025 [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.62, 2023].

CEFIM/OECD: DOE and OECD launched the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Mobilisation (CEFIM) Programme on December 13, 2021; the CEFI Roadmap was an output of this engagement (documented in Clean Energy Finance and Investment (CEFI) Roadmap / CEFIM Programme ) [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.62, 2023].

Energy Transition Council (ETC): UK-led multilateral body. Committed £10 million through its Rapid Response Facility (RRF) to support the Philippines’ energy transition [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.63, 2023].

Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP): Multi-donor fund administered by UNOPS; total budget USD 50M; 5-year program. Donors: Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), IKEA Foundation, England, France, Germany, Canada. Focus: supporting clean energy transition in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.63, 2023].

Just Energy Transition (JET): Joint UNDP-DOE multi-stakeholder consultation platform, launched October 24, 2022. Engages government, industry, civil society, and communities on just transition planning [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.63, 2023].

ETM / CIF ACT Program: Philippines selected for CIF ACT Investment Plan in October 2021 (ADB-administered). Two MDB missions (Aug 2022, Mar 2023). CTF Trust Fund reviewing 6-month IP extension as of PEP publication. See Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) [PEP 2023-2050 Vol. III, Section E, p.65, 2023].

Key Observations

The bilateral nuclear cooperation portfolio (NCMOU → 123 Agreement) is the most advanced and highest-value bilateral in Section E; the France/HDF hydrogen MOU for SPUG areas is operationally significant given NPC’s hybridization program.
USAID-ESP is the single largest DP program operationally active, with direct contributions to resiliency, cybersecurity, and monitoring infrastructure.
ETP (USD 50M via UNOPS) and ETC RRF (£10M) represent new multilateral financing windows not previously documented in Vol. I or II.
DREAMS closure (Jul/Dec 2023) completes the transition: the RER platform and NREP 2020-2040 it enabled are now the operative frameworks.

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