THE terms of reference for the 7th round of the government’s Green Energy Auction Program (GEA-7) will be released in the second quarter (Q2) this year, the Department of Energy (DOE) said on Friday.
The auction program is targeting 35-percent renewable energy (RE) in the energy mix by 2030, and 50 percent by 2040. It simplifies procurement, allows lower power costs and aims to secure over 25 gigawatts of additional capacity by 2035.
GEA-7 wants to increase RE allocation for Mindanao with five times the capacity offered in previous auction rounds.
The auction will call for bids to cover solar rooftop, ground-mounted solar and floating solar technologies. Solar rooftop and ground-mounted solar projects must be delivered by 2027, and floating solar projects completed between 2027 and 2029.
The floating solar component will also incorporate the unsubscribed capacities from GEA-4, which was completed in November 2025 but did not fully secure its target capacity.
To further enhance grid stability and reliability, the DOE said it will require all ground-mounted solar projects in GEA-7 to be integrated with Battery Energy Storage Systems.
RE developers joining GEA-7 are advised to register their projects soonest for prequalification requirements prior to the auction.
