PH, Japan Partner to Map Large Hydropower Sites

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have formalized a landmark partnership to unlock the Philippines’ large-scale hydropower potential, a move that reinforces the country’s transition to clean energy.

The agreement, signed on June 9, 2025, outlines a three-year technical cooperation project focused on conducting a nationwide resource inventory to identify viable sites for large-scale hydropower development.

Energy Secretary Raphael P.M. Lotilla and JICA Chief Representative Baba Takashi signed the Records of Discussion for the “Project on Resource Inventory of Hydropower Potential Sites.”

The ceremony was also attended by Japan’s Minister for Economic Affairs Yokota Naobumi, underscoring Tokyo’s commitment to the Philippines’ energy transformation.

Set to commence in September 2025, the project will focus on locating sites suitable for impounding and pumped-storage hydropower systems with capacities exceeding 100 megawatts (MW).

The initiative seeks to support sustainable power generation and attract private sector investments through the DOE’s Open and Competitive Selection Process (OCSP).

“This project marks a crucial step toward harnessing the full potential of hydropower, particularly pumped storage, as a strategic enabler of a power system that is clean, flexible, and resilient,” Lotilla said at the signing event.

“Japan’s global leadership in hydropower innovation brings immense value to this collaboration,” he added.

“Through JICA’s technical expertise, we gain the tools and insights needed to identify and unlock untapped hydropower resources, laying a strong foundation for long-term investments, rural development, and enhanced energy security,” he said.

The project will roll out in three phases, beginning with the collection of topographic, rainfall, and river flow data, followed by field surveys at four pilot sites to conduct pre-feasibility studies.

These pilot sites will serve as potential models for future hydropower development, supporting DOE’s goal to diversify the country’s energy mix and ensure reliable electricity access nationwide.

The initiative builds on a 2012 JICA-funded study that mapped small- and medium-scale hydropower sites below 100 MW, which helped establish DOE’s current hydropower database and guided earlier OCSP rounds.

The new project is the first technical cooperation effort developed under JICA’s 2024 Data Collection Survey for Climate Change Measures and Green Transformation.

In that study, DOE served as a key cooperating agency in identifying priority areas for climate mitigation and clean energy growth.

According to DOE figures, hydropower currently accounts for about 16 percent of the Philippines’ renewable energy capacity.

As of 2024, the DOE is targeting to increase the renewable energy share in the power generation mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.