The renewable energy arm of Ayala Corp. has started building the largest solar farm in the Philippines to date, its fifth facility to commence construction in 2021.
AC Energy Corp. (ACEN) Chief Development Officer Jose Maria Zabaleta said the 283 MW solar farm in San Marcelino, Zambales is capable of producing over 421 GWh of renewable energy per year.
The facility can help eliminate up to 287,796 tons of carbon dioxide emission annually.
“The San Marcelino solar farm marks the fifth facility that we have commenced with construction this year, and these project milestones all make for a fascinating period in the expansion of our renewable energy portfolio,” Zabaleta said.
He noted that the facility will help address the “potential power shortages in the country as energy demand continues to grow.”
The San Marcelino solar farm is targeted for completion in the first half of 2023.
“As economies reopen and electricity demand grows further, we will aim for sustainable investments to play a leading role in accelerating the greening of the grid to meet our country’s needs.”
The solar farm will feature the latest solar technologies such as east-west oriented panels and string inverters to capture solar radiation more efficiently. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Santa Cruz Solar Energy, Inc. as project owner, has tapped Power Construction Corp. of China Ltd. and PowerChina Philippines Corp. as the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors for the project, and to whom a notice to proceed was issued on Wednesday.
Located in a 300-hectare land covered by lahar, the solar farm has an expansion potential of up to 700 MW.
ACEN is aiming to reach 5,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2025, gunning to become “the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia.”