SREC breaks ground for hybrid-power plant in Palawan
By Lenie Lectura – April 22, 2018
from Business Mirror
SABANG Renewable Energy Corp. (SREC) broke ground for its hybrid power plant in Palawan.
SREC’s hybrid power plant will consist of 1.4 megawatts of solar power with a 2.3-MW-per-hour battery-storage system and 1.2-MW diesel generators to power its 14-circuit-kilometer distribution facility.
SREC, a Department of Energy-registered renewable energy (RE) developer composed of WEnergy Global, Gigawatt Power Inc. and Vivant Corp., aims to provide households and businesses in Barangay Cabayugan with 24/7 electricity.
“The solar PV/battery system enables SREC to provide an average of 50 percent of clean energy to the grid,” said Walden H. Tantuico, President of SREC and president of Gigawatt Power.
The project is expected to be operational in 2019 and will be operated by SREC under an Energy Regulatory Commission-approved Qualified Third Party Agreement with Palawan Electric Cooperative (Paleco). As a QTP, SREC is authorized to generate and distribute electricity in Barangay Cabayugan, which has been waived from Paleco’s franchise area.
SREC’s hybrid-power generation technology will not only provide round-the-clock electricity but will also avoid about 25,700 metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions over a 20-year lifetime. The total carbon avoided can be compared to saving approximately 9.1 million liters of gasoline or 7,136 hectares of carbon sequestering forests.
The SREC project will electrify over 650 residential, public and commercial establishments that will enjoy uninterrupted power supply 24/7.
The company said the Philippine government may expect to realize savings on subsidies for rural electrification between P298 million and P527 million over 20 years, compared with a full diesel- operated plant. These savings will enable the government to accelerate its rural electrification program while promoting RE.
The Sabang project will also serve as a model for other clean-energy projects in Palawan to protect the island paradise’s ecosystem and sustainable development.
