PLDT taps First Gen’s renewable energy

By Alena Mae S. Flores – May 4, 2023, 7:05 pm
from manilastandard.net

PLDT, First Gen and Smart signed a partnership for the supply of 3.7 megawatts of geothermal energy to power up seven facilities in Cebu, Samar, Capiz and Iloilo.

These facilities will source RE from First Gen’s 100-percent RE subsidiary Energy Development Corp., the country’s biggest geothermal company.

“This geothermal switch will allow us to save around P27 million in electricity costs on an annual basis for our seven facilities in the Visayas. This will also support our broader decarbonization roadmap and will enable us to reduce our emissions by about 16 thousand tons this year, which amounts to 26% of our total target emissions reduction for 2023,” said PLDT and Smart chief sustainability officer, first vice president and investor relations head Melissa Vergel de Dios .

The telcos are also exploring with First Gen the expansion of geothermal energy use for more of their sites across the Philippines, including data centers.

“We have committed to make Sustainability part of the way we operate and shall remain steadfast in delivering on our decarbonization targets. As we turn to renewables and clean energy, we are also supporting the Philippine government’s plan for green energy transition,” said PLDT and Smart president and chief executive Alfredo Panlilio.

“In 2016, we made the decision to close our doors to coal-fired power plants to keep our energy portfolio clean and green. It was one of the most significant business decisions we made to show how serious we are in pursuing our decarbonization mission,” said First Gen president and chief operating officer Giles Puno.

“It gives us motivation to continue doing what we do with partners like PLDT. We know that it is only by working together that we can power through to a greener and more progressive future,” said Puno.

PLDT and Smart disclosed their decarbonization roadmap last year which targets to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhousegas emissions by 40 percent by 2030.

This covers the transition to renewable energy and green technology solutions to power up their network facilities, data centers and operational sites across the country.

These initiatives underscore PLDT’s and Smart’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 for Affordable and Clean Energy and Goal 13 for Climate Action.