ACEN signs first customer under retail power program

MANILA, Philippines — Ayala-led ACEN Corp. has onboarded Filipino-Chinese school Philippine Cultural College (PCC) as its first customer under the government’s retail aggregation program (RAP).

ACEN, through retail electricity arm ACEN RES, will supply power to PCC’s five facilities across all three campuses, meeting a total power demand of nearly one megawatt.

Under RAP, multiple power end-users within the same franchise area can aggregate their energy demand to meet the 500-kilowatt threshold required to contract their preferred supplier.

The scheme also offers customers the opportunity to lock in lower electricity rates while also providing the option to switch to renewable energy (RE) sources.

“By utilizing renewable energy through RAP, we’re not only reducing our carbon footprint but also ensuring a more sustainable future for our students,” PCC director Willie Go said.

“This initiative allows us to optimize our electricity costs, freeing up resources that can be further invested in providing quality education,” he said.

Established in 1923, PCC is said to be the country’s first and oldest Filipino-Chinese secondary school, currently operating three campuses in Manila, Quezon City and Caloocan.

“We thank ACEN RES for their expertise and support. We look forward to our smooth transition to the retail aggregation program,” Go said.

ACEN senior vice president for market transformation Tony Valdez, for his part, said this tie-up has underscored a commitment to making RE accessible to more businesses and institutions nationwide.

“Through programs like RAP, we’re empowering customers with the power of choice and giving them greater control over their electricity usage. We fully support the government’s initiatives to promote competition and provide more options for electricity consumers,” Valdez said.

As the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, ACEN has embarked on a bold target of achieving 20 gigawatts of RE capacity by 2030.

To date, the company has 6.8 GW of attributable RE capacity spanning operational, under-construction and committed projects. It also has a growing presence across the Philippines, Australia, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Laos and the United States.