• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Bacolod City officials and executives of Negros PH Solar Inc. led the groundbreaking ceremony for the 145megawatt solar power project in Barangay Felisa Dec. 4.
“Bacolod warmly welcomes investors, who share our vision of a brighter and greener future,” Mayor Alfredo Benitez said in a post as he and other officials led the groundbreaking and laying of capsule rites. “We remain steadfast in supporting businesses championing renewable energy and sustainability.”
This project of the Nexif Ratch Energy will rise in a 97-hectare area in the barangay, the city said in a press release, adding the project is expected to generate 218,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy (RE).
Nexif Ratch Energy, a leading independent power producer focused on renewable energy solutions, said in a press release in October that the 145MWp Bacolod Solar Power Project, developed by Negros PH Solar Inc., is its second solar project in the Philippines.
“It is a 145 MWp ground-mounted solar photovoltaic project that will connect to NGCP’s Bacolod substation, and can potentially power up to 52,600 households,” the company said. “Majority of its output will be sold through a 10-year power supply agreement to a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, with the remainder to the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.”
Project investment of more than US$100 million is funded by equity from Nexif Ratch Energy and credit facilities from Security Bank Corporation and the Philippine National Bank, the company said, adding that it is eyeing the commercial operation of the project by last quarter of 2025.
This project is also among the more than 15 RE plants in the Visayas for 2024 and 2025, as the Department of Energy intensifies its push to transition to a “more clean, affordable, and secure energy system”. | CGC
