Converge taps First Gen for clean energy

MANILA, Philippines — Fiber broadband provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. has tapped independent power producer First Gen Corp. to power its main office in Pasig City with 100 percent renewable energy.

Converge would purchase a total of 2.5 megawatts (MW) of geothermal energy up to 2023 from the Lopez-led pioneering clean energy company.

“The clean energy that First Gen will provide for our head office in Pasig complements our business in more ways than one. It reflects our choices as a responsible company that wishes to do its share for the environment,” Converge CEO Dennis Anthony Uy said.

Converge said the two-year supply contract with First Gen is part of the company’s sustainability commitment, which it aims to pursue greener options in its operations.

“The Philippines is especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and this has direct implications on the future of our business too. We have chosen to take decisive action now. This is the first major step in our journey to becoming carbon neutral,” Converge chief strategy officer Benjamin Azada said.

Aside from helping save the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the shift may also result in operating cost savings, according to Converge president and chief resources officer Grace Uy.

The clean energy to be used in Converge’s Pasig headquarters will come from the Tongonan geothermal power plant in Leyte, which is owned by First Gen’s subsidiary EDC.

First Gen will provide a maximum of 1.5 MW during the first year, increasing to 2.5 MW on the second year.

“The 2.5 MW of purely renewable energy from Tongonan geothermal power plant, owned by our subsidiary Energy Development Corporation, will bring Converge one step closer to reducing its carbon footprint, and as we’d like to say - powered by good,” First Gen chairman and CEO Federico Lopez said.

First Gen currently services a growing list of direct clients shifting to green power all over the country and is among the first renewable energy supplier approved by the Department of Energy for the Green Energy Options Program.