Over 1,450 7-Eleven stores go for renewables

MANILA, Philippines— Nearly 1,500 7-Eleven stores in the Philippines are shifting to renewable energy through ACEN Corp.

This makes the convenience store chain the biggest retail network taking part in the government’s retail aggregation program (RAP).

In a statement on Friday, the Ayala-led energy firm said it had clinched a deal with Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC), the exclusive licensor of 7-Eleven stores in the country.

The agreement covers more than 1,450 stores across Metro Manila, Batangas, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Cavite and Nueva Ecija to 100 percent clean electricity.

The partnership is expected to cover more stores, ACEN said.

This was entered under the government’s RAP, an initiative that enables consumers or enterprises with multiple facilities that share a common area to consolidate their demand to meet the 500-kilowatt (kW) minimum.

The RAP is expected to accommodate more customers as regulators approved the reduction of the threshold to 100 kW per month, starting in June.

“We want to make the shift to renewable energy simple and accessible for businesses,” ACEN Corp. president and CEO Eric Francia said.

ACEN sources its supply from its strong portfolio of solar, wind, and geothermal plants.

PSC chair Jose Victor Paterno said this move protects the group from market volatility, particularly witnessed during the Middle East war, which has led to elevated fuel prices and threatened a hike in power rates. /atm