Bronzeoak has P6 B renewable energy developments in Negros

MANILA, Philippines - Bronzeoak Philippines Inc. is working on roughly P6 billion worth of renewable energy projects in Negros Island, which is aimed to be a renewables hub in the country.

In an interview last week, Bronzeoak Director Don Mario Dia said the company had two ongoing RE developments – the 20-megawatt (MW) in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental under San Carlos Biopower Inc. and a 9.9-MW wind farm in Bais City, Negros Oriental.

The project cost for the biomass plant amounts to $64 million, or roughly P3 billion, while the wind farm costs P1.4 billion to build. The company has partnered with Swiss ThomasLloyd Group for the biomass project and with the Ayala Group for the wind development.

“(The construction for the biomass plant) is ongoing and by first quarter (next year) it will be completed. Boiler shipments have already arrived,” Dia said.

The wind project is targeted for completion in February 2017.

The project is aimed to cover the remaining capacity in the second round for Feed-in Tariff (FIT) for wind, with a FIT rate of P7.40 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

Dia said the wind project is the initial phase of a 80-100 MW potential wind resource in the mountain range surrounding San Carlos City.

“It has room for expansion. We hold the franchise in San Carlos, with a potential of 80-100MW over the whole mountain range,” he said, noting development of the whole potential will take place once the transmission issues in the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) are resolved.

Meanwhile, Bronzeoak is also drawing up plans for the expansion of its existing 18-MW solar farm also in Bais City under Monte Solar Energy Inc. (Montesol), its joint venture with the Ayala Group.

“The expansion of Montesol will double the size by another 18MW. We will start construction towards the end of this year,” Dia said.

He said the expansion was estimated to cost $28.8 million, or P1.35 billion, and could be finished in six months.

With several types of RE technology being developed in Negros Island, Dia said the area could well become the country’s RE hub.

Including the 18-MW Montesol solar farm, Bronzeoak has completed five solar-powered projects with a total capacity of 143 MW with its partners.

The other plants are the 18-MW and 14-MW plant located in La Carlota City and a 48-MW located in the municipality of Manapla, all under Negros Island Solar Power Inc. (IslaSol), and the 45-MW Sacasol plant in San Carlos City under San Carlos Solar Energy (SaCaSol).

IslaSol and SaCaSol are Bronzeoak’s joint ventures with the Macquarie managed Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure (PINAI) Fund, and Dutch pension fund manager APG.