Visayas infrastructure completed

By Eireene Jairee Gomez – July 23, 2022
from The Manila Times

SPECTRUM, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), has completed the energization of solar facilities in five PLDT business centers in the Visayas, helping advance the telecommunication firm’s push for sustainability.

The solar rooftop panels, which have a combined capacity of 431.21 kilowatt-peak, were installed in PLDT’s offices in La Paz in Iloilo; Mandaue City in Cebu; Roxas City in Capiz; Cebu City; and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental.

These projects are expected to generate approximately 591,550 kilowatt-hour of clean energy per year, which will result in energy cost savings for PLDT amounting to an estimated P2.2 million annually.

The company will also reduce its carbon footprint by an estimated 421 metric tons, which translates to 845,000 trees planted over 20 years and 1.678 million kilometers reduced in vehicle travel per year.

The initiative to use solar power for its business centers in the Visayas forms part of PLDT’s decarbonization roadmap that aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by around 40 percent by 2030.

With Spectrum’s support, PLDT advances its environment, sustainable and governance goals and contributes to the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. The company’s sustainability initiatives also support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), particularly UN SDG 7 or the access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

“Through Spectrum’s safe, reliable and end-to-end solar solutions, we empower customers to manage their electricity expenses at times when energy prices are volatile. Partnering with PLDT was an opportunity for us to enable the company to operate efficiently and sustainably and realize their goal to help preserve the environment,” Patrick Henry Panlilio, Spectrum chief operating officer, said.

“With sustainability at the core of our operations, we also make it possible for our partners to have a sustainable energy source. We are here to harness the potential of solar energy in helping customers, communities and the country in realizing our shared goal of taking care of our environment for the future generations,” Panlilio added.