Aboitiz unit commits to build largest solar plant in PH

MANILA  -A unit of Aboitiz Power Corp. (AboitizPower) is set to start developing the company’s largest solar project next month at 211 megawatts (MW) in a bid to further boost its clean energy portfolio and move closer to its energy transition target.

Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (ARI) will build the solar plant on a 196-hectare (ha) land area in Olongapo City, Zambales province, with the facility expected to begin commercial operations by September 2025.

The facility will provide electricity through the Castillejos substation, according to AboitizPower.

Meanwhile, construction of Olongapo Solar will be undertaken by a joint venture between Guangdong Electric Power Design Institute Co. Ltd. and parent company China Energy International Group Co. Ltd., it added.

ARI will likewise develop a 172.7-MW solar project in Calatrava, Negros Occidental, on a 143-ha land area. The facility is slated to be operational by the end of 2024.

“We are looking to begin the construction of our Calatrava Solar and Olongapo Solar projects this year on the way to achieving our growth strategy of providing an additional 3,700 MW of renewable energy by the next decade,” said AboitizPower president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Rubio.

AboitizPower now has four solar projects in the pipeline, including the 94-MW Cayanga-Bugallon and the 159-MW Laoag solar facilities in Pangasinan province.

The company has nearly 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects in the pipeline, and it aims to expand this to 4,600 MW in the next 10 years.

Earlier this month, ARI signed a joint venture agreement with Singapore-based Vena Energy to develop a 102-MW wind project in the provinces of Rizal and Laguna.

AboitizPower did not divulge the total required investment, but said that it expected to reach financial close for the project by 2024.