THE Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday announced it has partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for a three-year technical cooperation project to conduct a nationwide resource inventory of potential hydropower sites.
Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and JICA chief representative Baba Takashi signed the agreement on June 9 and will commence in September.
The DOE said the project will identify and assess viable large-scale hydropower sites across the country, particularly those suitable for impounding and pumped-storage technologies with capacities exceeding 100 megawatts (MW).
The partnership builds on a longstanding energy cooperation between the Philippines and Japan, including the groundwork laid by a 2012 JICA-supported study that assessed the potential of small- to medium-scale run-of-river, reservoir, and pondage hydropower plants below 100 MW.
It is also the first technical cooperation project formulated and approved, following JICA's Data Collection Survey for Climate Change Measures and Green Transformation, which was completed in 2024.
"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. Japan's global leadership in hydropower innovation brings immense value to this collaboration," Lotilla said.
"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 added.