Solar PHL building large solar projects in 2021
By BusinessMirror – December 10, 2020
Solar Philippines said it is on track to construct over 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar projects in 2021 in the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.
Based on data from the Department of Energy (DOE), these projects of Solar Philippines would include the first, second, and third largest solar projects in the Philippines as of date. These projects will nearly double the country’s total installed solar capacity as of 2020, and are equivalent to the power demand of approximately 10 million Filipinos.
By 2022, Solar Philippines expects these projects to become the largest single portfolio of solar projects in Southeast Asia.
While Covid-19 slowed approval of permits in 2020, the company said it expects a renewable energy-led economic recovery in 2021, spurred by the DOE’s moratorium on new coal plants in the Philippines.
“The 1 GW of solar projects are planned to create over 20,000 jobs during construction, which will last until 2022, and support government efforts to boost investments in the countryside,” the company said in a statement.
To realize these projects, the company said it is bringing in partners and professionals in line with its new strategic direction.
The company has already brought in partners to its operating solar farms in Calatagan, Batangas and Concepcion, Tarlac, and will use these existing operations to fuel its expansion plans.
During a television interview last week, Solar Philippines founder Leandro Leviste predicted these advances will encourage others to join the solar bandwagon, adding that, “Hopefully not a single one of the country’s power companies will not be a fellow believer in solar energy by next year.”
The company has been increasingly focused on forging partnerships in recent years.
In December 2018, it partnered with Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) for its 63 megawatt (MW) Solar Farm in Batangas. This is KEPCO’s first renewable energy project in Southeast Asia.
In June, Solar Philippines inked a partnership with the Razon Group’s Prime Infra to develop a pipeline of projects, representing the largest solar joint venture established in the country. This includes completing the Tarlac 200 MW Solar Farm, the country’s largest solar project to date.
According to the DOE website, Solar Philippines is developing projects with a total capacity of over 10 gigawatts in over a dozen provinces. The company has indicated that it will make further disclosures on these developments at the appropriate time.
