CLEAN ENERGY. Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas (5th from right) stands beside Prime Infra President Guillaume Lucci and other provincial and company executives during the inauguration of a Prime Solar Solutions' solar power plant in Tanauan City on Friday (May 31, 2024). Behind them are hundreds of separate solar panels that combined, can generate up to 64 megawatts of clean energy. (PNA photo by Pot Chavez)
TANAUAN CITY, Batangas – Private and public sector stakeholders are confident that this province is firmly on its way to becoming the “de facto energy center” of the country owing to numerous investments in renewable power sources.
This became evident when Prime Solar Solutions Corporation inaugurated the Tanauan Solar Power Plant on Friday morning, which further solidified Batangas' position as a clean energy hub in the Philippines.
During the inauguration ceremony, Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevarra credited the project to the consolidated efforts of visionary leaders, policymakers, engineers, investors, and the local community.
Among them is incumbent Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas, under whose administration huge strides in renewable energy development have taken place in the province.
“This project offered new livelihood, increased economic activity, and instilled pride in Batangas. Additionally, completing the construction in around 12 months shows the efficiency and teamwork that brought this project to its realization,” Guevarra said.
She said the new plant will contribute substantially to achieving the National Renewable Energy Program target of 35 percent in the generation mix by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
The project will not only reduce reliance on fossil fuels but also contribute to efforts to combat climate change, according to her.
For his part, Prime Infra president and chief executive officer Guillaume Lucci said the launch is an addition to the ongoing efforts of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in transforming energy sources from fossil fuel to renewable.
“We have our own sources that we need to further develop and explore some of the potential gas fuels that are in the Philippines. Gas becomes a critical transition fuel as we move away from coal towards more renewable and hopefully a fully renewable grid by 2050,” said Lucci.
He recognized the collaborative support of the DOE, the provincial government of Batangas, and the city government of Tanauan in the success of the project.
He pointed out that the solar-power plant is built with the most advanced technologies using drone monitoring and digital twins.
Lucci noted that the plant will supply up to 64 megawatts of solar power and will be combined with the Maragondon plant, providing over 120 megawatts at peak that will be enough to power 84,000 households.
In sum, he said a huge amount of coal per year will be displaced per year to the benefit of current and future generations.
Meanwhile, Mandanas, who was present at the inauguration, said his administration is “committed to making the province stand out as an energy powerhouse.” (PNA)
