The utility-scale solar park was switched on at an opening ceremony in San Carlos City on 15 May by His Excellency Benigno Aquino III, president of the Republic of the Philippines.
“This is a big moment for the Philippines, where the country’s proximity to the Equator, high electricity prices and logistical complexity, offer huge potential," said Alexander Lenz, president, Conergy Asia & Middle East. "Conergy is proud to be at the forefront of the nation’s first multiple megawatt solar project, which will provide affordable, reliable power for businesses and citizens across San Carlos City, and offers a model for other parts of the country.”
The Government of the Philippines launched a 50 MW incentive scheme distributed over three years to attract investment in solar, part of efforts to expand power generation in the country, where the economy is growing at 6-7% per annum but constrained by the fifth highest electricity prices in the world, and frequent, protracted blackouts. With a coastline close to double that of the United States’, climate change is also high on the agenda of the Pacific nation, and the government targets a tripling of renewable energy power generation by 2030 to more than 15 GW.
Conergy, already the biggest builder of utility-scale solar plants in Thailand and among the top five largest in the United Kingdom, designed and is building the new 22 MW facility, which is located in an economic zone close to the port of San Carlos City, in the middle of the 7,100-island archipelago.
“Conergy is working internationally with its partners to unlock the barriers to the wider adoption of solar, including in countries like the Philippines where the conditions are perfect," said Marc Lohoff, CEO for Asia Pacific, Conergy. "Utility-scale solar plants can be built quickly and cost-effectively, with relatively low operational and maintenance costs. When well designed, and properly constructed, they can play an important role in reducing pressures on domestic power generation.”
In its first phase, the San Carlos City solar park project features 13 MW of power capacity, which will be expanded to 22 MW in the coming months. The solar park is owned by the San Carlos Solar Energy Inc. and was financed by ThomasLloyd Group. Development work was undertaken by local specialist, Bronzeoak Philippines.
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