• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation (CREC) broke ground on its 69-megawatt solar power plant, worth P3 billion, in Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City in Negros Occidental, Feb. 20.
The Citicore Solar Negros Occidental 2 occupies a land area of about 70 hectares and is set to be operational by end of this year, or early 2025, CREC president and chief executive officer Oliver Tan told reporters.
Tan said this is their second solar farm project in Silay and the province; the first, the Citicore Solar Negros Occidental, has an installed capacity of 25MW, worth about P5 billion, in Brgy. Rizal, that started operations in 2016.
He said that they will employ about 500 to 700 locals during the construction phase, and around 30, mostly technicians and security personnel, when this second project starts operations.
Tan said the two projects will have combined installed generation capacity close to 100MW, and can supply power to around 70,000 households.
“Negros Occidental can further develop with the entry of more renewable energy (RE) projects, not only addressing urgent environmental concerns, but also bringing substantial socio-economic gains while enhancing energy access, security, and self-sufficiency,” CREC said in a statement.
“We support Negros Occidental, its steps towards the renewable energy transition,” Tan said. “With the completion of this project, we will not only be able to augment the power generation needs of Negros Occidental and the Visayas grid, but also contribute to the growth of the province.”
The Citicore Solar Negros Occidental 2 is part of the many projects in the company pipeline, and of the 792MW worth of renewable energy capacities awarded to CREC last year, under the Green Energy Auction (GEA) Program of the Department of Energy.
The GEA aims to encourage more investments in power generation, to promote the growth of RE as one of the country’s primary sources of power, and as part of the government’s target of 35 percent RE in the energy mix by 2030, and 50 percent by 2040, the DOE earlier said.
CREC chairman Edgar Saavedra stressed the urgency to build more RE capacities in line with the national government’s plan. “Our vision is to power a First-World Philippines, and CREC is committed to helping our government achieve its vision for clean energy.”
Tan, meanwhile, said that aside from the seven-year tax holiday and duty-free in the importation of equipment, CREC is also in a discussion with the Silay City government if the company can be granted real property and local business tax incentives, considering their huge investment.
This is only for a short time but the increase in tax collection will be substantial, aside from benefits to host communities under the law, he said, adding he believes that Silay could become a first-class city, from its current third-class status.
Mayor Joedith Gallego said Silaynons are thankful to CREC for the solar power projects and the economic opportunities that these will bring. | CGC
