More than eight years after its 25 megawatt solar power plant became operational in 2016 in Brgy. Rizal, Silay City, the Philippine-based Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation (CREC) is again investing about P3 billion for another 69 megawatt peak (MWp) solar power plant in Brgy. E. Lopez, also in Silay City, Negros Occidental.
CREC chairman Edgar Saavedra and Chief Operating Officer Oliver Tan reecently led the ceremonial groundbreaking for its new power plant in Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City, attended by Mayor Joedith Gallego and Board Member Manuel Frederick Ko, chair of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan committee on Energy, representing Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, among other guests.
Upon completion of the Citicore Solar Negros Occidental 2 project by year end, or early 2025, Tan said the CREC facilities in Negros Occidental will have a combined installed generation capacity of 94MWp.
In a press briefing at the groundbreaking rites, Tan said the new project of CREC will employ 500 to 700 workers who are to be sourced out locally, during the construction phase.
The solar power plant will be different from others, Tan said, stressing that they are planning to put up a battery bank, in order to deliver power not only during day time, but even during night.
He also bared plans of the CREC to supply power to the soon to be constructed City Hall of Silay City, which will be adjacent to the solar farm, in order to lessen their cost of electricity.
Tan also disclosed that they will expand their AgroSolar initiative to its new solar farm project in Silay City.
The AgroSolar initiative marries solar power generation and crop farming to help address food security while at the same time generating renewable energy to meet power demands.
Through this initiative, Citicore wants to refute the misconception that agriculture and solar plants cannot be done together.
Tan said they will allow farmers to plant root crops under the solar panels, so the agricultural intent of the soil is not displaced.
Just as the Philippines is seen as a “bright spot” in Southeast Asia for renewable energy (RE), Tan said he believes that Negros Occidental can further develop with the entry of more RE projects, not addressing urgent environmental concerns, but also bringing substantial socio-economic gains, while enhancing energy access, security and self-sufficiency.
Gallego lauded the expansion of Citicore solar power farm project in Silay City, which he said will further boost the city’s economy.
CREC chairman Saavedra raised the possibility of another solar farm power project in the future, also in the same area.
A statement issued by CREC said that the company has set a goal to contribute about 1GW of ready to build solar energy capacity annually, for the next five years, in line with the Department of Energy’s Philippine Energy Plan, which targets to achieve a 35 percent RE share in the power generation mix by 2030, and 50 percent by 2040.
One gigawatt is equivalent to 1,000 megawatts of power.
The Citicore Solar Negros Occidental 2 is part of the 792MW worth of renewable energy capacities awarded to the company during the government’s 2023 Green Energy Auction Program.
(Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy by TVDS)
