Philippine oil firm embarks on another solar venture

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PetroGreen Energy Corporation (PGEC), a subsidiary of Philippine oil company PetroEnergy, has this week been granted environmental clearance for the construction of a planned 10 MW solar PV plant in the country.

As disclosed on the Philippine Stock Exchange, the solar project has secured the necessary environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the Region 4-B unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and also the green-light from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) for its Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP).

Acronyms aside, this all means that PetroGreen Energy Corporation can build its 10 MW solar park at its chose site of Puerto Princesa City, having also secured the “formal support” of the host community and a handful of local interest groups.

“PGEC’s planned 10 MW solar facility is expected to be the first green and renewable energy sourced-power facility in the city and the province,” said a company statement. The location of the solar farm has been carefully chosen as it will augment Palawan island’s power supply – a supply that is currently off-grid and largely diesel-backed.

There are also plans in the works for the creation of hydro and biomass power plants for Palawan, but these projects remain at the blueprint stage. The 10 MW solar plant, meanwhile, is expected to be commissioned early in 2018.

In 2016, PEGC completed the 50 MW Tarlac solar farm near Tarlac City, Philippines. Solar activity in the Philippines has been brisk in the past 18 months, with the South Pacific nation emerging as a frontrunner in the region’s clean energy push.

Last week a 60 MW solar PV plant was commissioned on Cebu Island, while Solar Philippines earlier pledged to build 1 GW of solar capacity by 2018.

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