SAN CARLOS CITY, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, April 20 – President Benigno S. Aquino III on Tuesday led the switch-on ceremony of the 59-megawatt (MW) San Carlos Sun, Inc. (SaCaSun) Solar Power Plant in Barangay Punao here.
The P3.7-billion solar power plant, which sits on a 75-hectare property inside the San Carlos Ecozone, is a joint project of AboitizPower and Sun Edison Philippines. It began delivering energy to the Visayas grid last March 9, days before the March 15 deadline set by the Department of Energy for solar power projects under the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT).
“The solar plant we are inaugurating today is certainly a step in the right direction. It is yet another reason for us to be optimistic and confident about the future,” President Aquino said in his speech after the switch-on ceremony.
The Chief Executive was assisted by Energy Secretary Zenaida Monsada, Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Maranon, Jr., and San Carlos City Mayor Gerardo Valmayor, as well as AboitizPower Corporation Chief Executive Officer Erramon Aboitiz, and Chief Operating Officer and President Antonio Moraza.
The President’s youngest sister, TV talk show host Kris Aquino, also witnessed the event. Other officials present were Interior and Local Government Secretary Mel Senen Sarmiento and chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy Reynaldo Umali of Mindoro Oriental.
The SaCaSun solar power plant will deliver 85 gigawatt hours of clean and renewable energy annually to the Visayas grid. It is AboitizPower’s first foray into solar energy generation and the 29th renewable energy generation facility.
President Aquino expressed optimism that more companies will follow the footsteps of AboitizPower, whose solar power plant capacity can provide electricity in case of power shortage in the Luzon grid.
He also cited the economic incentives for investors in renewable energy development, such as income tax holiday and duty-free importation of renewable energy equipment.
“It is such a welcome development to see that solar is becoming more prevalent and affordable, and our administration’s hope is that even more companies follow in your footsteps. This hope is reflected in how we have helped pave the way for you to invest here, in the form of competitive economic incentives. Investors in renewable energy development receive a 7-year income tax holiday, 10-year duty free importation of renewable energy machinery, and Feed-in-Tariff rates, among many others,” said the President.
“Through such measures, we are confident that, with the growing number of believers from the private sector, we can truly achieve our goal of increasing our renewable energy-based capacity to 15,304 MW by 2030. And I am certain that, as we welcome even more advances in renewables, we can minimize our reliance on fossil fuels, increase the share of renewables, all without jeopardizing the price structure,” he added.
President Aquino said that with only 72 days remaining in office, he is hopeful that the Aboitiz company “can remain a consistent partner and continue its trend of working with government, investing in the Filipino, and helping shape a better future for mankind”.
“I am likewise hopeful that our productive partnership can set an enduring framework by which sectors, public and private, converge to build a nation that we can be proud to bequeath to the next generation,” he said.
According to AboitizPower, the solar power plant will help prevent the emission of more than 44,000 tons of carbon dioxide over 20 years—the equivalent of taking some 10,000 cars off the road.
More than 4,000 residents in this city as well as neighboring towns, including 1,500 women, were able to get jobs during the construction of the solar power project. The women assembled parts of the solar panels while the men carried the assembled parts for installation in the solar farm.
AboitizPower is one of the country’s leading developer and operator of renewable energy plants, which include hydro and geothermal. With the completion of SaCaSun, the renewable energy portfolio of AboitizPower and its partners accounts for 38 percent of the 3,350 MW total net sellable capacity of renewables nationwide
Sun Edison, a company based in the United States, is one of the top manufacturers and developers of solar technology around the world. Its more than 1,000 operational sites worldwide produce about 14,040,387,364 kilowatt hours. (PND)