PowerSource First Bulacan Solar, Inc. (PFBSI) has officially begun the commercial operations for its 50-megawatts (MW) power plant that promises to provide clean and renewable power to the Luzon grid.
In San Miguel, Bulacan, a 50-megawatt (MW) power plant has just begun its commercial operations. Dubbed the BulacanSol, the energy source aims to provide clean and renewable power to the Luzon grid.
The project stemmed from the joint undertaking of MERALCO's generation arm MGen Renewable Energy, Inc. (MGreen) and PowerSource First Bulacan Solar, Inc. (PFBSI) that own 60 and 30 per cent of the power plant respectively.
According to MERALCO Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, it is in his company's plan to invest in projects that support renewable energies in the Philippines.
“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, which will ultimately be biased towards renewables,” he said.
MERALCO President & CEO Atty Ray C. Espinosa, on the other hand, shared that the company is slowly joining the shift to renewable energy. “In June 2019, MERALCO made the first announcement that it would join the shift to renewable energy and it will adopt sustainable practices for the One MERALCO Group. And today, we realize the very first renewable power plant – the first of several that One Meralco has lined up for investment and sourcing."
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For PFBSI Chairman Rogelio L. Singson, BulacanSol signifies the commitment of One MERALCO and PowerSource Group to help ensure energy security through clean, cost-competitive, and sustainable power.
“We pledge to continue building more environmentally conscious projects as part of our commitment to a sustainable energy transition for the future generations,” he said.
“As the first operational project of MGreen, BulacanSol is a very important milestone that drives us to aggressively pursue more projects that will help us achieve our target of building a renewable energy portfolio with a capacity of up to 1,500MW in the next five to seven years,” he added.
The construction activities for the plant started in December 2019 following the issuance of notice-to-proceed to SUMEC Complete Equipment & Engineering Co. Ltd., the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for the project.
As of February 2021, the project ready reached 1.5 million safe man-hours without lost-time incident, reflecting the company’s commitment to safety and security in all its activities.
“We share this achievement with our employees, engineers, contractors, and partners in the government and private sector who worked together to bring this project into reality. With their perseverance, determination and hard work, we are finally going to see the light," said PFBSI President and PowerSource Chairman Aloysius B. Colayco.
As of this writing, BulacanSol has already secured a clearance to operate from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) starting May 12
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For inquiries, you may contact Claire C. Feliciano via email at CFeliciano@meralcopowergen.com or +632 8422 1928 | +63917 508 2224