Joannalou Abanilla

I am a Business Economics graduate from UP Diliman and an early-career economist passionate about connecting data with real-world energy strategy. At the DOE Office of the Secretary, my work centers on policy-based research, project management, and strategic economic advising. Looking ahead, I am focused on growing into the data analytics side of the energy space to turn domain knowledge into data-driven solutions.

Outside of work, I'm a serial hobbyist who's fond of drawing, working out, and trying out new sports.

Junior Economist, Office of the Secretary at Department of Energy (2025-08 – Present)

• Lead the monitoring of 246 GEA projects, focusing on transmission concerns to address interconnection bottlenecks and support timely project delivery.
• Extend project management assistance to 200 priority power projects to support expedited delivery under SONA directives.
• Conduct research on off-grid hybrid energy generation, modeling the optimal solar-diesel mix to maximize the Renewable Energy Developers' Generation-Based Cash Incentive (REDCI).
• Serve as internal economic advisor to the Geothermal Energy Management Division (GEMD), evaluating economic models and sub-loan pricing structures for the Philippine Geothermal Resource De-Risking Facility (PGRDF).
• Provide economic analysis for the development of the coal block bidding framework ahead of the planned auction.
• Led DOE operations in co-organizing a joint Renewable Energy Financing roundtable with BloombergNEF and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), convening 35+ high-level stakeholders.
• Review and prepare briefers on market dynamics and regulatory frameworks, including WESM offtake, NEM/RRO reliability standards, ASPA settlements, and GMT/QDMTT tax impacts, in aid of policy development.
• Sit on the Technical Working Group evaluating developer compliance on TC and DA fees, financial data, and COA audit findings.
• Received certification in Geothermal 101 by the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines (NGAP).

Intern, Program Management Office at ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (2025-03 – 2025-06)

• Handled and maintained upkeep of the company's projects, mainly those under the Operations Department.
• Co-headed in project managing the current batch of interns' culminating output entitled "LaunchLab: STEM and Career Discovery for Teens".
• Contributed to other departments, namely Marketing and HR, in their initiatives related to public relations.

Bachelor of Science in Business Economics – UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN (2025-07)