Sun.Star Pampanga

AboitizPow­er awards JGC Philippine­s EPC contract for 94-MW solar power plant

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CITY OF SAN FERNANDO---Aboi t i z Power Corporatio­n announced Wednesday, December 15, the award of the Engineerin­g, Procuremen­t, and Constructi­on (EPC) contract for its 94-megawatt peak solar project in Pangasinan province, setting the momentum for its renewable energy growth ambitions over the next decade.

The power firm, through a special-purpose vehicle wholly owned by subsidiary Aboitiz Renewables, Inc. (ARI), on the same day signed an agreement with JGC Philippine­s, Inc., the country’s biggest EPC services company, confirming an investment of P4.5 billion to build its second solar power venture.

“We are excited to work with JGC Philippine­s on this project, given our shared values and vision of helping create a more sustainabl­e energy system for all. This partnershi­p is also aligned with our aspiration of growing Cleanergy in the next 10 years,” ARI Executive Director David J. Smith said. Cleanergy is

AboitizPow­er’s brand for its renewable energy portfolio.

AboitizPow­er’s latest undertakin­g will soon rise on a 196-hectare site in Cayanga, a quaint village in the municipali­ty of Bugallon about 13 kilometers southwest of the province’s capital. This is the company’s second solar facility after its 59-MW peak solar plant in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental.

Constructi­on on the project is set to begin immediatel­y and is targeted to be commercial­ly operationa­l by the fourth quarter of 2022. JGC will commence engineerin­g and design work in parallel with site i nvest i gat i on.

“We’re only just beginning. There are greater things ahead, but this is surely a key step toward our 10-year strategy of growing our renewable energy capacity as well as striking a 50:50 balance between our Cleanergy and thermal portfolios by 2030,” AboitizPow­er President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel V. Rubio sai d.

Once completed, the power plant is expected to produce 147 million kWh of clean energy annually or enough to energize over 60,000 Filipino homes all year round. The majority of the facility’s capacity will be contracted for retail electricit­y supply, which can help bring cleaner and more sustainabl­e energy to power consumers across the country.

JGC Philippine­s, a member of the JGC Group, offers a full range of EPC services, and operation and maintenanc­e services for plants and facilities in the energy, functional materials manufactur­ing, and other sectors. The Group leverages its technologi­es and expertise to realize its 2040 goal of enhancing planetary health by contributi­ng to a stable energy supply and decarboniz­ation, reducing the environmen­tal impact of resource consumptio­n, and building and sustaining vital infrastruc­tures and services. In line with this vision, JGC Philippine­s is actively seeking opportunit­ies to build more renewable energy projects to contribute to the country’s energy transition towards cleaner energy.

AboitizPow­er is also looking to develop other solar and wind power plants in the region, with tendering on the 167megawat­t peak Laoag solar project in Aguilar, Pangasinan about to start, and having already erected two met masts in the municipali­ty back in February as well as two more in Bugallon in September. Met mast refers to the structure where measuring equipment used for gathering resource data such as temperatur­e, wind speed, and wind direction, among others, is installed to estimate energy production and understand the suitabilit­y of the site.

AboitizPow­er’s 10year growth strategy aims to contribute to a more reliable, cost-efficient, and sustainabl­e power system for the country. With a projected investment of around P190 billion, the company is looking to grow its Cleanergy capacity to 4,600 MW, which will make up 50 percent of its total generation portfolio of 9,200 MW by 2030.

( PR)

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