2 solar plants in Negros Occ., worth P12B, start operations

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines — The two solar power plants in Negros Occidental, with a total cost of 12 billion, are now operating. These are the 25-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Silay City, costing P2.2 billion, and the 132.5-MW solar farm in Cadiz City, costing P10 billion.

The Silay solar farm was inaugurated February 23, and started providing power to the Visayas grid to power 30,000 houses. The plant is operated by Citicore Power, a subsidiary of Citicore Investments Holdings, Inc., and is located at Hacienda Maquina in Barangay Rizal of Silay City.

Citicore Power executive vice president Manolo Candelaria described Negros Occidental as the “solar power capital of the country.” He said the plant will dispatch the total capacity of 25 MW composed of the first phase of the project.

An additional 15 megawatts worth P1.5 billion will be developed by the second half of the year. The solar plant covers 43 hectares and includes 96,000 photovoltaic modules, he said.

Meanwhile, the 132.5-MW solar farm in Cadiz City was connected to the Visayas grid on February 13, ahead of its inauguration on March 3. This was confirmed by Cadiz City Mayor Patrick Escalante, who said the P10-billion solar power facility is now serving Negrense consumers through various distribution utilities.

Situated on a 176-hectare land at Barangay Tinampaan, the solar farm developed by Soleq Holdings will become the biggest in Southeast Asia and the seventh largest in the world.

Soleq is the solar power arm of Singapore-based Equis Funds group, Asia’s largest independent energy and infrastructure private-equity fund manager.

“Negros Occidental is using about 200 MW per hour, and half of it is being supplied by renewable energy sources, including solar,” Escalante said, adding that the province’s 70 percent consumption during day time is being supplied mainly by solar.

The mayor said the solar project will also spark opportunities for more investments, not only for Cadiz City, but also for the entire Negros Occidental. Some international investors are attending the unveiling rites, he said.

Aside from solar powered plants, Negros Occidental is also host to biomass and bio-ethanol powered plants.

With these plants, Negros Occidental is “slowly being recognized as the Renewable Energy Capital of the Philippines,” according to former Negros Occidental governor Rafael Coscolluela, who is now the provincial consultant on investment and promotions, trade and export development, and inter-agency coordination.

All in all, Negros Occidental has a total of 288 MW of renewable energy, Coscolluela added. —(FREEMAN)