By Joe Zaldarriaga
The Daily Tribune
According to the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration, the last four years have been the warmest in 139 years. The current warming trend is the result of human emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, mostly carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels.
Climate change will damage economies, devastate populations, increase resource scarcity and dramatically impact the cost of doing business. So, for both humanitarian and business reasons, it is imperative that companies of all sizes take action. Both the private and public sector must look for new, innovative ways to improve their technology, efficiency and sustainability.
One industry that is working hard to address the situation is the power sector in ensuring energy security for the Filipino consumers. Now that the economy is getting back on track, energy security is a primary concern during this pandemic, and into the new normal.
The importance of achieving energy security for the country is part of the sustainable energy transition plan of MERALCO PowerGen Corporation (MGen), the power generation arm of Meralco. The plan involves the development of utility-scale renewable energy projects that can deliver competitive electricity for our customers, without any requirement for subsidy.
Early this month, the company — through its renewable energy arm MGen Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen) — started commercial operations of its P4.25 billion solar power plant, which sits on 72 hectares of land across three barangays in San Miguel, Bulacan.
Called BulacanSol, the project is the result of MGen’s perseverance, passion and purpose to provide clean and renewable power to electricity consumers.
Meralco president and CEO Atty. Ray C. Espinosa said, “In June 2019, we first announced that we will be joining the shift to renewable energy by adopting sustainable practices for the One MERALCO Group. Today, we realize the first renewable power plant — the first of several that One Meralco has lined up for investment and sourcing.”
It would not have been possible without the dedication of the people who participated in the project, especially those who worked in constructing the plant in the middle of an ongoing pandemic, added MGen president and CEO Rogelio L. Singson.
“Our team worked long hours to commission this solar project. This achievement is really all about teamwork, strive for excellence and hard work,” said Singson, recalling the string of weather disturbances and lockdowns that restricted movements on site.
Singson also acknowledged the strong support BulacanSol received from the local government of San Miguel led by Mayor Roderick Tiongson, national government agencies including the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission, as well as the Department of Public Works and Highways, which provided significant right-of-way acquisition support for the project’s 74 electric poles and drainage system.
BulacanSol signifies the commitment of MGen to build more environmentally conscious projects as part of the company’s commitment to a sustainable energy transition for the future generations.
According to Singson, as the first operational project of MGreen, BulacanSol is a very important milestone that drives them to aggressively pursue more projects to achieve its target of building a renewable energy portfolio with a capacity of up to 1,500 megawatts (MW) in the next five to seven years.
“We will develop more renewable projects and at the same time be conscious of our need to generate lowest cost electricity to reach the farthest communities in the country,” Singson revealed.
BulacanSol now plays a significant role in One MERALCO Group’s long-term sustainability agenda. It is also aligned with Meralco’s commitment to source 1,500 MW of its power requirement from renewable energy.
“This is a modest step into renewables but a significant one for Meralco. We look forward to many more investments in renewables, particularly solar, as we attempt to achieve that balance in fuel sourcing,” Meralco Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.
The new solar power plant is a strategic investment not only in sustainability and innovation, but more importantly in the future of our country.
MGen recognizes that it still has a long way to go, but pledged sustained effort and dedication for the next renewable energy projects that the company will launch in the coming months and years.
BulacanSol is just the beginning that will bring light, hope and, of course, energy. It is a commitment to power the good life through sustainable energy.
I am personally looking forward to what lies ahead, as Meralco’s leaders made it very clear during the launch of BulacanSol that this is only the beginning, just the first step in this more expansive long-term plan to really ensure sustainability for all.
The opening of BulacanSol is in accord with Meralco’s tagline “Ang Liwanag ng Bukas,” and this year, indeed, we are taking that commitment to the next level.
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/05/23/bulacansol-provides-phl-clean-renewable-energy/