GREENTECH Solar Energy, Inc. (GSEI) has broken ground on a new solar power plant in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija, which is expected to generate 18.75 megawatts alternating current (MWac) of power, its parent company said on Thursday.
The solar project is expected to deliver power by the first quarter of 2025, MGen Renewable Energy, Inc. (MGreen) said in a statement.
GSEI is among the winning bidders in the government’s second round of the green energy auction program, which involves bidding for renewable energy contracts at a competitive price.
MGreen is the renewable energy arm of Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), a subsidiary of power distributor Manila Electric Co. (Meralco).
“As part of One Meralco’s long-term sustainability agenda… we will ensure, together with our dedicated partners, to efficiently serve the country’s growing power needs with cleaner energy in cost-competitive manner,” MGen First Vice-President Philip Dasalla said.
“As construction commences on the solar power plant, GSEI remains committed to upholding the highest standards of environmental sustainability, community engagement, and operational excellence,” MGen said.
Meanwhile, Meralco Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer Ronnie L. Aperocho said that the company supports the government’s goal of introducing 1,200 megawatts of nuclear capacity into the power mix by 2032.
“We’ll support the target, definitely, and hopefully, we can help the Department of Energy in achieving that target,” Mr. Aperocho told reporters in a recent ambush interview.
Under the proposed new energy roadmap, the government aims to introduce nuclear energy, with a targeted capacity of 1,200 MW by 2032.
Mr. Aperocho said that Meralco has received the results of the pre-feasibility study with US-based company Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. to explore the potential deployment of one or more micro-modular reactor systems in the Philippines.
“They will be sending their delegations here few weeks from now to present to the big boss the results of the pre-feasibility study as well,” Mr. Aperocho said.
Meralco’s controlling stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc.
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