URC taps more solar, hydro power sources
By James A. Loyola – February 17, 2022, 4:17 PM
from Manila Bulletin
Universal Robina Corp. (URC), one of the country’s largest food and beverage firms, is making a big push this month towards its “net zero” goal in 2050 by sourcing its electricity needs from power producers that use renewable sources.
In a statement, URC said it has signed an agreement with MPower/Vantage, Bacman, and First Gen to supply at least 18 of its facilities in Luzon and two more in the Visayas with geothermal, solar and hydro energy.
These include factories in Pasig, Laguna, Cavite, Pampanga, Antipolo and Bulacan, as well as facilities in Cebu and Negros Occidental.
This will be one of URC’s biggest projects so far, as it pursues “net zero” goal by 2050. Net zero means balancing the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) the company emits with the amount it removes.
This commitment will support the country’s pledge to Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which aims to reduced Philippines’ GHG emission to 75% by 2030.
“One of our focus areas is climate action. Under climate action, URC is gearing towards Net Zero by 2050,” said URC Chief Sustainability Officer David Lim.
URC’s facilities in Luzon will be supplied with either geothermal, solar or hydro energy as the company pursues net zero goal.
He added that, “We aim for a low-carbon economy by optimizing the use the of renewable energy amongst other tools to reduce the impact of GHG emissions.” The goal is ultimately to “have all our plants utilize electricity from 100 percent renewable energy by 2025,” Lim said.
This is not URC’s first initiative at pivoting towards renewable energy. it has been installing solar panels that generate close to 2 megawatts at its manufacturing facilities in Canlubang, Laguna, and San Fernando, Pampanga.
Plans are also underway to install solar panels in Calamba, Misamis Oriental, Tarlac, Pampanga and Cebu plants.
Overseas, URC’s solar energy initiative is even more broad.
Its Thailand subsidiary has installed solar panels on six factories and four warehouses at its compound in Samut Sakhon province, southwest of Bangkok. The solar panels can generate an estimate of 6 megawatts of power.
The company’s Vietnam subsidiary, meanwhile, has ongoing installation of 3-megawatt solar rooftop system panels at its coffee plant at the Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park Binh Duong.
