Quarterly Performance Report Q4 Year 1 (July-September 2015)

With funding support from the US Government, through USAID, the program is expected to develop a research initiative to guide energy sector policy- and decision-making, strengthen the enabling environment for national frameworks for climate change mitigation and low-emission development, support energy-related academic activities at tertiary education institutions, and inform private sector business strategies for cost-effective, sustainable, and broad-based growth. EPDP's approach to attaining its objective involves four key initiatives: provision of policy development advisory to National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and the Department of Energy (DOE), support capacity building activities for NEDA and DOE and their attached agencies, support communications activities to share energy-related research with stakeholders in the energy sector, and provide the technical foundation for the policy development, capacity building, and communications interventions through an energy research program. This entails the setting-up of an energy research program unit to support a mix of policy and operational research on energy and a data management and analysis unit to lay the groundwork for analysis of energy issues, as well as monitoring and evaluating impact of energy policies. During the fourth quarter of EPDP's first year, the program continued to strengthen stakeholder engagement, support government initiatives, improve capacity of government officials in the sector, and enrich the policy debate on key issues that the energy sector faces. A Policy Forum was held on August 7, 2015, attended by 106 energy sector professionals from the government, private sector, civil society, and the academe. Separate meetings were held with key private sector players to gather insights on the policy landscape of the sector. A three-day training course on the Analysis of Power Sector Projects was conducted for government staff from August 27-29, 2015, covering project development, project analysis, evaluation of alternatives, and cost-benefit analysis in power sector projects. EPDP also continued to provide just-in-time policy support to the Department of Energy through the development of a terms of reference for a Third Party in the auction of power supply agreements. The program participated in Filipino 2040—a scenario-building and visioning exercise led by NEDA, and prepared research inputs to two thematic areas of Filipino 2040. EPDP engaged a network of scholars, researchers, industry players, and policy makers at UPLB-organized International Energy Conference (EnerCon) held July 23-24 at the Acacia Hotel, Muntinlupa City. During the EPDP-supported session on Energy Policy, Regulation, and Institutions, some of the initial findings of ongoing EPDP-supported studies were presented, enriching the discussion on key sector issues. EPDP implemented its communication strategy with the release of the second issue of its newsletter, enhancing its website, and developing a regular on-line presence via various social media. The program's brochure, containing pertinent information about the program, was released during the quarter and disseminated to a wide range of stakeholders. A short audiovisual presentation is currently being developed and will be released in early 2016. EPDP prepared its Second Annual Work Plan, taking into consideration factors that are likely to influence the activities and resources for FY2, including the change in government administration in 2016, expected completion of a number of ongoing research work, and preparations for its mid-program implementation.