AboitizPower to start building 74-MW solar farm

Aboitiz Power Corp. has cued the start of construction of a 74-megawatt solar farm in Pangasinan in the second half of this year, as part of efforts to expand the share of renewable energy in its business.

Slated to start commercial operations in the fourth quarter of 2022, the project will rise at Barangay Cayanga in Bugallon town.

Emmanuel V. Rubio, president and chief executive of AboitizPower, said in a statement that the solar farm represented a step closer to achieving their 10-year strategy of significantly increasing their renewables-based power generating capacity toward a 50:50 balance between renewables and thermal or fossil-fuel based assets.

“Majority of the solar facility’s capacity will be contracted for retail electricity supply, which we hope can help bring more sustainable energy to homes and businesses in the country,” Rubio said.

The Cayanga project will be AboitizPower’s second venture in solar power, following the 59-MW facility in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, which was inaugurated in 2016.

Renewable energy projects

Aside from solar, the company is also invested in other renewable energy projects such as geothermal, large hydro and wind facilities across the Philippines.

AboitizPower is now working on several renewable energy projects with a primary focus on solar, wind and hydro.

The company recently completed the commissioning of two wind met masts—towers that carry meteorological measurement instruments—in Pangasinan.

AboitizPower’s renewable energy business started in the 1970s through Hydro Electric Development Corp., now known as Hedcor Inc. which has its own network of subsidiaries.