First Gen announces tieup with UPLB

By Lenie Lectura – January 23, 2025
from Business Mirror

UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose V. Camacho, Jr. (second from left, seated) and First Gen Vice President Shirley H. Cruz (third from left, seated) signed the MOA establishing the landmark partnership between UPLB and the Lopez-led clean energy company. UPLB Technology Transfer and Business Development Office Director Emil John C. Cabrera (extreme left, seated) and First Gen Senior Manager Janice O. Dugan (extreme right, seated) served as witnesses to the MOA signing. Also in photo are other officials and employees of both UPLB and First Gen.

First Gen Corp. and the University of the Philippines-Los Baños (UPLB) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that will pave the way for a “future-proof and future-ready” UPLB.

The partnership, sealed last January 15, is meant to drive innovation and regeneration through a collaboration promoting research, technology, and community resilience projects. In a statement released Thursday, top officials of First Gen and UPLB established the framework of their commitment by signing the MOA at the UPLB campus in Laguna.

Under the MOA, both parties have agreed to collaborate and support the planning and implementation of a wide range of initiatives, which will include research and development projects; knowledge sharing and technology transfer activities; training and educational programs; and other mutually agreed-upon activities.

The MOA combines UPLB’s expertise in agriculture and research with First Gen’s leadership in clean energy to benefit local communities and contribute to global sustainability.

“This partnership is important because it opens a lot of doors of opportunity. It’s a platform for us to work together. We are looking forward to partnering with First Gen to help us achieve the vision of a future-proof and future-ready UPLB,” said UPLB Chancellor Jose V. Camacho Jr.

A key initiative under this partnership focuses on advancing seaweed farming in the coastal communities of Camarines Sur. In this area, FP Island Energy Corp., a subsidiary of Lopez-led First Philippine Holdings and a sister company of First Gen, operates a microgrid system on the islands of Caramoan and Garchitorena.

Through the MOA, this initiative integrates UPLB’s cutting-edge technology with First Gen’s innovative energy solutions, aiming to empower these communities and strengthen their resilience.

First Gen, the Philippines largest renewable energy company, has 1,651 megawatts (MW) of installed renewable energy (RE) capacity from 28 solar, wind, hydro and geothermal power plants. First Gen also has another 2,017 MW of capacity from four other power plants that run on natural gas, a bridge fuel that offers flexible power generation and supports the introduction of more RE capacity in the country. Combined, the 3,668-MW capacity of these First Gen power plants helps assure the country’s energy security.