AboitizPower ramping up renewable energy capacity
Aboitiz Power Corp. is ramping up its renewable energy (RE) capacity as it sees growing demand for cleaner power supply under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) scheme.
Demand for renewable energy has been growing, with more companies seeing the value of sustainability as the power sector’s open access scheme went full swing, AboitizPower executive vice president Luis Miguel Aboitiz said.
“There has been a tremendous increase in the demand for RE in the last few years and we are happy that AboitizPower’s Cleanergy brand has a strong presence in this space, thanks to our significant capacity from our RE power plants,” he said.
“We will continue to ramp up our RE portfolio to ensure that we will remain the renewable power supplier of choice moving forward. This is consistent with our strategy of achieving a balanced mix of energy sources for the country,” Aboitiz added.
Under RCOA, power consumers with an average monthly demand of at least one megawatt (MW) can choose from among licensed retail electricity suppliers (RES) accredited with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
AboitizPower retails electricity under subsidiaries Prism Energy Inc., Advent Energy Inc., and Aboitiz Energy Solutions Inc.
RCOA has allowed The Net Group (TNG) to explore various opportunities and studied various suppliers who have the capacity to meet their requirements. It has been a retail electricity customer of AboitizPower for all its properties in Metro Manila.
“When we did open access, it was very challenging in the beginning. Luckily, we found a partner with a great track record and who is very willing to work closely with us to go through the requirements, technical procedures, and even the documentation,” TNG copresident Ramon Rufino said.
“We had to go through a competitive selection process as best practice. AboitizPower came out as the winner in that process because they have been very supportive in all aspects and we have a lot of shared commitment to the environment and sustainability,” he added.
TNG recently added its seventh green building – its biggest to date – with Net Park at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Lucio Tan-led Eton Properties has also converted several of its properties to be power by renewable energy – even those which host the BPO sector.
“BPO operations need uninterruptible, round-the-clock power supply, especially here in the Philippines where majority of BPO companies cater to international customers with different time zones. With AboitizPower as our power partner, we are confident that we will continue to deliver on our promise of quality and efficiency in our office developments,” Aboitiz said.
AboitizPower has also started catering the renewable energy needs of Union Bank of the Philippines and the Asian Development Bank.
UnionBank president and COO Justo Ortiz said the decision to go renewable is driven by the bank’s enduring sustainability principle focused on people, planet, and purpose.
Multinationals like Nestle Philippines are also taking advantage of reliable renewable energy sources. Nestle’s technical director Peter Winter partnering with AboitizPower allows them to “continually look for better and sustainable solutions to reduce their carbon footprint and protect the environment in a more sustainable manner.”
AboitizPower currently has a total net sellable renewable energy capacity of 1,263 MW and expects to expand it further with the completion of its 69-MW Manolo Fortich hydropower project in Bukidnon and the eight-MW Maris Canal hydro project in Isabela. It is also commissioning its first biomass facility in Lian, Batangas through subsidiary Aseagas.
Last April, AboitizPower celebrated the successful restoration of the six-MW Binary 1 plant at the MakBan Geothermal Plant.
Aboitiz said the group will continue to invest in renewable energy technologies that are viable to provide reliable, ample and competitively priced power to the country’s growing demand for energy.