The future of Philippine energy looks bright.
Prime Infrastructure Holdings Inc. (Prime Infra) has announced that it will build the world’s largest solar power facility in the Philippines.
READ ALSO: Down To Earth: How City Of Dreams Manila Reduced Its Waste Through Sustainability Initiatives
The project targets a capacity of 2,500 to 3,500 megawatts. This is combined with a 4,000 to 4,500 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system.
Terra Solar Philippines will undertake the project as a unit of a renewable power subsidiary under Prime Infra’s control and in partnership with Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. It aims to boost the renewable energy supply in the country.
From the said power facility, Terra Solar will supply 850 megawatts to the offtaker, Manila Electric Company (Meralco). This is because companies must harness a minimum percentage of their energy portfolio from renewable sources, under the Department of Energy’s renewable portfolio standards (RPS).
Energy savings
The 850-megawatt supply can displace an annual consumption of approximately 1.4 million tons of coal or 930,000 liters of oil.
“We, at Prime Infra Group, are delighted to move forward with Meralco on this record-breaking project that highlights solar power’s important contribution to strengthening the country’s energy security—solar, which is normally looked at for peaking, is now being made available by Terra Solar to answer Meralco’s mid-merit requirement, thereby addressing both the need for additional capacity and compliance with RPS,” Prime Infra president and chief executive officer Guillaume Lucci said.
The project means reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and import dependency for the country between 2026 and 2046.
Under the terms of the Meralco power supply agreement, 600 megawatts will be available by 2026. Meanwhile, the remaining 250 megawatts will follow in 2027.
“Prime Infra finds a sweet spot to pursue solar. As we take advantage of the steep decline in installation costs over the past decade. And the improved battery energy storage system technology that allows us to build an economically critical and socially relevant infrastructure at a scale the world has never seen before,” Lucci concluded.
Banner Photo by Andreas Gücklhorn on Unsplash
