New Clark City solar power provider obtains service contract
SUNRAY Power, Inc. (SPI) has received its solar service contract from the Energy department, paving the way for the development of its P8.5-billion, 100-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Capas and Bamban in Tarlac province, it said on Tuesday.
SPI said its Clark solar project is being developed in partnership with state agency Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the developer of the New Clark City, or the Clark Green City as it was known during the previous administration.
“We are excited to do this solar project in partnership with BCDA and we are looking at doing more projects with them as part of our long-term plans,” said Carlos Jose P. Gatmaitan, SPI president and chief executive officer, in a statement on Tuesday.
The solar farm is to be constructed within a 256-hectare property leased from BCDA by SPI, an affiliate of listed company MRC Allied, Inc. Mr. Gatmaitan is also chairman and independent director of MRC.
“The success of this project would be another proof that the private sector and the government can actually work hand in hand towards achieving a common goal — the creation of cleaner, greener, more sustainable communities,” he said.
New Clark City is described by its proponents as the country’s first “smart green city and among the priority projects of the Duterte administration.
SPI said that upon the green city’s completion, it will have five major districts: government; central business; academic; agri- forestry research and development; wellness, recreation and eco-tourism.
New Clark City covers 9,450 hectares within the Clark Special Economic Zone owned by BCDA in Tarlac.
SPI affiliate MRC holds a diversified portfolio in property development, mining exploration and is currently pursuing energy projects. The listed company under its new management announced a target to develop at least 1,000 MW by 2022.
MRC, a property company which diversified into energy development early last year, plans to invest between P80 billion and P100 billion in the next 10 years to achieve its aspirational goal of putting up 10,000 MW of power capacity.