Bohol’s first solar power plant to start operations in Q4 2024
BOHOL, Philippines—This province will soon harness energy from the sun via its own indigenous solar power plant after the Yuchengco-led PetroGreen Energy Corp. completed site development for the 27-megawatt (MW) Dagohoy solar power project this month.
Once operational in the fourth quarter of 2024, the P1.2-billion solar facility will be the first solar power plant in Bohol.
“All the major site development work prior to the installation of the solar panels and major electrical facilities has been completed by our contractor,” Frederick Pizana, PetroGreen site engineer, told reporters over the weekend.
According to Pizana, the solar farm will utilize 40,628 solar panels to serve around 15,000 households in the province.
It will be connected to National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ 69-kilovolt Bohol transmission line to deliver power to Bohol, which has been relying on imported supply from Leyte and Cebu provinces.
Solar panel installation will begin in the second week of January, PetroGreen vice president for commercial operations Victoria Olivar said.
SN Aboitiz Power, the Aboitiz Group’s renewable energy subsidiary, is eyed as the offtaker, she added.
The project, which was formally launched in September this year, was first introduced in March 2020 when PetroGreen started topographic and relocation surveys to assess the 22-hectare area.
Dagohoy Mayor Hermie Relampagos welcomed the development, saying that they would support PetroGreen’s other projects, as well as potential expansions.
“This is a game-changer that will help our municipality transition from a fourth-class to a third—or even second-class—municipality, and will improve the living condition of our people,” he said.
Pizana also hinted at developing another solar farm within the province to boost Bohol’s indigenous power supply.
He clarified, however, that studies and assessments were ongoing to measure whether other locations were suitable for a similar development.
Last month, PetroGreen, a joint venture between listed PetroEnergy Resources Corp. and Japanese investment firm Kyuden International Corp., announced that it was also set to develop a 25-MW solar power plant in Pangasinan province under the Department of Energy’s Green Energy Auction program.
