The Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE) and the UK government, represented by the British Embassy in Manila, have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to collaborate on offshore wind and microgrid development in the Philippines.
The LOI, signed on 16 December 2025, formalises collaboration under the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) Philippines Country Fund, which the two countries signed earlier the same month.
On 3 December, the UK and the Philippines officially launched the new Philippines Country Fund by the UK PACT programme in Manila. The programme aims to support partner countries in accelerating their low-carbon transitions through targeted technical assistance and capacity-building, according to the UK government.
Under the energy sector priorities of the UK PACT Philippines Country Fund, the LOI establishes a framework for cooperation to deliver three technical assistance projects covering offshore wind and microgrid planning, which are designed to reinforce implementation readiness, improve evidence-based decision-making, and enhance the quality and transparency of governance tools, according to the Philippines’ government.
The first technical assistance project helps the DOE develop a robust evaluation framework for infrastructure plans submitted under the Green Energy Auction (GEA-5), specifically for offshore wind. This framework will define documentation standards, feasibility and sequencing criteria, and milestone checks to ensure that auction outcomes are transparent, credible, bankable, and lead to responsibly executed projects on schedule.
The second project establishes a comprehensive data collection framework for priority microgrid sites. Better site-level data will enhance planning and decision-making under the DOE’s Competitive Selection Process for Microgrid System Providers, helping expand clean energy access in remote and underserved areas by grounding procurement and technical requirements in verified, evidence-based information.
The third technical assistance workstream focuses on technical validation and peer review of the initial outputs of the marine spatial planning (MSP) process and its associated tool for offshore wind use cases. This includes ensuring methodological integrity, incorporating multi-stakeholder inputs, and building capacity within agencies like the DOE and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources so that MSP tools can be applied effectively for siting and planning decisions, improving transparency, inter-agency coordination, and investor confidence in offshore wind development.
“These workstreams will help the DOE sharpen implementation discipline from clearer documentation standards and review criteria for OSW auction to better site data that supports transparent, competitive microgrid procurement”, said Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara . “The objective is straightforward: improve readiness and confidence so that commitments convert into timely, reliable projects on the ground.”