SAN CARLOS CITY, Negros Occidental—President Aquino made a last-ditch effort to pitch for renewable energy (RE) as the answer to the Philippines’s commitment in reducing carbon emissions and development challenges.
Speaking on Tuesday’s inauguration of the 59-megawatt (MW), 75-hectare solar farm of Aboitiz Power Corp.’s wholly owned subsidiary San Carlos Sun Power Inc. (SaCaSun), Mr. Aquino described RE as the answer to the “challenge for us to have enough reasonably priced dependable power supplies, balancing the goals of fulfilling the growth potential of our country, uplifting the lives of our countrymen and protecting our environment.”
“[This is] yet another reason for us to be optimistic and confident about the future,” the President said, as he described the newest solar farm as “a step in the right direction” as it will help the Philippines fulfill its commitment in Paris last December of reducing greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions by 70 percent by 2030. The solar farm, according to AboitizPower, “will help avoid 72,000 metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions per year.” The solar farm will produce “over 82 gigawattt hours of clean energy a year, enough to power 33,000 houses,” AboitizPower CEO Erramon I. Aboitiz said.
Aboitiz said RE is the company’s contribution to the country’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution on Climate Change, especially since the Philippines “is among the countries deemed most vulnerable to its dire effects.”
“While the Philippines accounts for only 0.3 percent of global GHG emission, AboitizPower fully supports government’s call to further reduce our carbon footprint. To ensure that we keep up with the growing demand and secure the country’s energy-mix target of a minimum of 30-percent renewable, we will continuously invest and develop more Cleanergy, our brand for clean and renewable energy,” he said.
With less than 70 days left in office, Mr. Aquino has touted his administration’s accomplishment in “greening” the energy sector with 33.9-percent renewables in the Philippines’s energy mix and mitigating climate change.
“We have commissioned a total of 3,262 MW in installed capacity in 70 power plants, 38 of which—or better than 50 percent—are renewable,” he proudly proclaimed.
Specifically for the Visayas, President Aquino said his administration “were able to increase the region’s dependable capacity by more than 900 MW—from around 1,300 MW in 2010 to 2,228 MW at present. There is another 5,404 MW in the pipeline through 60 incoming committed projects, 42 of which are renewable.”
RE to complete energization of PHL
Mr. Aquino, with Energy Secretary Zenaida Y. Monsada, Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr., Aboitiz and sister Kris Aquino, led the inauguration of the solar farm, AboitizPower’s first foray into solar energy. The President also said RE will “complete” the energization of every corner of the Philippines by the end of June. When he first occupied Malacañang, he was told that only very few sitios remained to be energized.
In 2011 it was found out that there were still 32,441 to be energized, which he said have already been connected to the grid. “But there are still a remaining few sitios, those in the hinterlands and those very far from the grid that have yet to be energized,” he said, vowing that his administration will energize these through RE “by the end of June this year.”
Negros Occidental now solar power capital of PHL
The inauguration on Tuesday of SaCaSun’s solar farm brought the number of solar-power facilities in Negros Occidental province to six with a total generation capacity of 341.5 MW. The province, which has made history in the country’s energy sector by becoming the country’s solar-power capital, also hosts other solar-power farms. These are the 132.5-MW Helios Solar Energy in Cadiz City—the biggest in Southeast Asia; the 45-MW San Carlos Solar Energy (SaCaSol) in this city; the 48-MW Negros Island Solar Power in the municipality of Manapla; the 25-MW Citicor Power in Silay City; and the 32-MW Negros Island Solar Power in La Carlota City.
Besides solar farms, Negros Occidental’s other RE sources are its river systems which, according to Marañon, “are ready to be tapped for renewable-energy generation.” These are the rivers of Himogaan, Sicaba, Malugo, Bago, Binalbagan and Ilog-Hilabangan. Once tapped for power generation, these rivers can combine to produce an estimated capacity of 200 MW.
Marañon disclosed that he had already discussed with Mr. Aquino plans to harness all the RE sources of the province to be able to transform it into a green economy.