Mondelez taps EDC to power manufacturing plant in Parañaque

By Lenie Lectura – April 18, 2019
from Business Mirror

MONDELEZ Philippines, the local unit of global snack giant Mondelēz International Inc., has tapped Energy Development Corp. (EDC) to supply power in its company’s manufacturing plant in Sucat, Parañaque City.

EDC sources geothermal power from its Bacon-Manito geothermal project in the Bicol region to supply Mondelez Philippines.

“We are proud to source our power from 100-percent renewable energy. Sustainability for our company is about preserving our world and its people. We all depend on just one planet. The smart and sustainable use of natural resources to reduce our environmental footprint is necessary now more than ever. This latest initiative complements our other sustainable projects in the Philippines,” Mondelez Philippines Plant Lead Atul Kulkarni said.

He was referring to the biomass boiler, which uses biodegradable sources of fuel, a rainwater-treatment facility to lessen water waste; plastic-waste recycling projects; and solar-power systems. The official said these all contribute to the achievement of the company’s sustainability goals.

Mondelez Philippines is best known for providing Filipinos with their favorite snack products, such as Eden cheese, Cheez Whiz, Tang powdered beverage, Oreo cookies, Toblerone and Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.

The company aims to be a snacks leader in the country by providing consumers with the right snack, for the right moment and made the right way. The latter means setting the benchmark in being a responsible business and contributing to the community where they operate in.

Globally, the company has declared its 2020 sustainability goals, which include the 15-percent reduction of its absolute carbon-dioxide emissions in its manufacturing worldwide by 2020. The shift of its Sucat plant to 100-percent renewable power is Mondelez Philippines’s contribution toward achieving this goal.

“We are honored to have a global company such as Mondelez Philippines sharing the same values as us,” EDC Head of Business Development, Marketing, and Trading Marvin Kenneth Bailon said. “Geothermal energy, for us, is the holy grail of renewable energy. It is the only baseload renewable energy, which means it can run 24/7, without depending on the seasons. This makes it a reliable source of uninterruptible power.”

EDC is one of the world’s largest geothermal producers and the country’s leading renewable-energy company with an installed capacity of 1,471.8 megawatts.

EDC is a subsidiary of First Gen Corp., the country’s largest clean-energy company, with a portfolio that includes natural gas, geothermal, solar, wind, and hydro.