How can we convert seaweeds into biofuels like India is doing

Are we missing something obvious here? For years now, the Philippines has been one of the world’s leading producers of seaweeds. But what have we done with this advantage? We’ve confined ourselves largely to food ingredients—carrageenan for ice cream and jellies, thickeners for toothpaste and cosmetics, and additives for processed goods. Nothing wrong with that. But have we considered that seaweeds could also fuel our future?

India has. In fact, Indian innovators have already taken the lead in producing biofuels from seaweeds. A company called Sea6 Energy, founded in 2010 by young engineers from IIT Madras, is pioneering technologies to grow seaweeds in deep waters and convert them into “biocrude” using a process called hydrothermal liquefaction. This is essentially a fast-track version of what nature does to turn organic matter into fossil fuels, but instead of millions of years, it happens in minutes.

Here’s the point: if India—with only 11,099 kilometers of coastline—can do this, why can’t we? The Philippines has 36,829 kilometers of coastline, more than three times that of India. And yet, we seem either out of focus or simply unaware that seaweed biofuel should be part of our energy strategy.

I’m not saying we should abandon the food and ingredient side of the seaweed industry. No. All I’m saying is: we can do both. At the start, perhaps, we can balance it—continue producing carrageenan and other extracts for export, while piloting biofuel projects. Later, as technologies improve and demand grows, we could prioritize biofuels.

Why? Because every liter of imported fuel we substitute with local biofuel is money saved. And beyond savings, there’s also the potential to generate carbon credits—seaweed absorbs huge amounts of CO₂ while growing, making it a natural carbon sink. This means that producing biofuels from seaweeds could simultaneously reduce our import dependence and strengthen our climate commitments.

Instead of asking who dropped the ball on this opportunity, let us move forward and seize it now. But to do so, we need more than rhetoric—we need a clear policy framework. In my view, this deserves a dedicated law, one that integrates seaweed biofuels into our renewable energy roadmap.

Who should lead this? I suggest the Department of Energy (DOE), but not alone. The DOE should convene an inter-agency team that includes the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) should also weigh in to project just how much we could reduce fuel imports if seaweed biofuels are scaled up.

India is already showing us how to mechanize ocean farming, how to build partnerships between innovators and oil companies, and how to position seaweed as both an energy source and a climate solution. Other countries—Japan, Norway, Indonesia, even Zanzibar—are also exploring seaweed biofuels. So why not us?

The Philippines is already a seaweed giant. But we are not yet a seaweed innovator. We are exporting raw material but not capturing the higher value that comes from transforming it into energy, bioplastics, or advanced biochemicals. Isn’t this the same trap we’ve fallen into with so many other commodities—coconuts, bananas, even minerals—where we supply the raw goods and others reap the biggest profits from finished products?

Seaweed biofuels could be our way out of that trap. Imagine coastal barangays not just farming seaweeds for export but also running local facilities that process biomass into bio-crude or biogas. Imagine a Philippines where fishing communities are also energy producers, where rural livelihoods are strengthened, and where we are less dependent on volatile global oil markets.

This is not a far-fetched dream. It is already happening elsewhere. All we need is the vision—and the political will—to make it happen here.

So here is the challenge: will the Philippines remain just a supplier of raw seaweed for foreign processors, or will we dare to lead in seaweed innovation for fuel and energy?

If India can do it with far less coastline, surely, we—with three times more—have no excuse.