PLDT taps First Gen as RE supplier for Mindanao facilities
By Lorenz S. Marasigan and Lenie Lectura – September 9, 2024
from Business Mirror
The PLDT Group has expanded its partnership with First Gen Corp. to shift six critical network facilities in Mindanao to 100 percent renewable energy (RE).
The energy supplied to these facilities will come from First Gen’s geothermal energy resources.
Among the facilities making the switch is PLDT Ponciano, which houses VITRO Davao, the first data center in Davao City, making it the first PLDT data center to operate entirely on renewable energy.
“This enables us to future-proof our facilities, reduce our operational expenses, and support the government’s Green Energy Option Program in the region,” said PLDT VP and Sector Head for Property and Facilities Leo Gonzales.
Before the expanded partnership, PLDT and First Gen have teamed up to switch four of the telcos sites in Visayas to RE.
In May 2023, PLDT and Smart launched their RE supply partnership with First Gen to harness geothermal energy sources for network facilities in Cebu, Samar, Capiz, and Iloilo. Prior to partnering with First Gen, the PLDT Group has also installed its largest solar rooftop facility in the Visayas, covering sites in Cebu Jones and Mandaue City in Cebu, Roxas, La Paz, Iloilo, and Bacolod.
Within 2024, the group expects to transition additional facilities in Greater Metro Manila to RE.
Gonzales noted that the transition to RE will generate around P23 million in savings on energy and operational costs annually.
Additionally, it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 13,000 tons per year, a key milestone in the company’s decarbonization roadmap that aims to achieve a 40 percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030, using a 2019 baseline.
“First Gen and PLDT share a common commitment towards decarbonization. We are honored to collaborate with the PLDT group, support their transition to RE, and help make their facilities more energy efficient and sustainable while providing meaningful connectivity to Filipinos,” said Carlo Vega, First Gen VP for Power Marketing, Trading and Economics.
Aside from solar rooftop installations, the PLDT Group secured loans amounting to P5 billion to finance fiber expansion projects aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its network rollout.
“The achievement of PLDT and Smart’s decarbonization targets to reduce our environmental footprint depends on the support from like-minded partners such as First Gen, who helps companies transition to renewable energy. This partnership with First Gen allows us to continue to enable the country’s digital transformation and help narrow the digital divide but in a way that is kind to the planet,” said PLDT Chief Sustainability Officer Melissa V. Vergel de Dios.
