Manila Water to cut carbon emissions with solar power

Manila Water Co. Inc. has signed a power purchase agreement with a Malaysia-based renewable energy firm for the construction of 2.5 megawatts (MW) of solar projects in three of the concessionaire’s facilities in a bid to lower its carbon emissions.

Under the 15-year deal, Manila Water said Ditrolic Energy Philippines would construct and manage solar facilities in Manila Water’s East La Mesa water treatment plant (0.5 MW) and San Juan reservoir (1 MW) in Quezon City, as well as the Cardona treatment plant (1 MW) in Rizal province.

“The [agreement] will put in motion the construction and management of three solar facilities that will blend solar renewable energy with Manila Water’s current energy mix,” the company said in a statement on Friday.

Ditrolic is a renewable energy firm based in Malaysia focused on solar power development, with more than 300 MW of capacity in its portfolio of commercial, industrial and government projects in Southeast Asia and South Asia, according to its website.

In the Philippines, its solar PV systems in the provinces of Misamis Occidental, Cebu and Surigao del Norte have a total capacity of at least 1.2 MW and an annual generation of around 300,000 megawatt-hours.

Manila Water noted that the shift to renewable energy was also expected to cut “a significant portion” of the three facilities’ daytime peak energy demand from conventional electricity suppliers.

According to the utility firm, the move toward clean energy was also part of its effort to cut down operational greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to reaching global climate goals.

Last year, Manila Water said it had reduced its carbon emissions by 16,960 tons by procuring at least 20 percent of its total power purchases from renewable energy sources.

The firm serves 7.6 million customers in the East Zone of Metro Manila, as well as Rizal province.