50-MW solar power plant in Bulacan begins commercial ops

PowerSource First Bulacan Solar Inc.’s (PFBSI) 50-megawatt (MW) solar power plant has officially started commercial operations and is now providing clean and renewable power to the Luzon grid.

PFSBI’s solar power plant is located in San Miguel, Bulacan, and costs P4.25 billion.

PFBSI is a 60-40 joint venture between MGen Renewable Energy Inc. (MGreen) and PowerSource Energy Holdings Corp.

MGreen is the renewable energy unit of Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), the power generation arm of Manila Electric Co.

The newly completed plant secured a clearance to operate from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on May 12, according to MGen.

“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,” said Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan.

For his part, Meralco president and CEO Ray Espinosa said that 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,” Espinosa said.

BulacanSol has secured a clearance to operate from the Energy Regulatory Commission on May 12 this year.  Photo courtesy: Meralco

The 50-MW solar power plant dubbed as BulacanSol signifies the commitment of One MERALCO and PowerSource Group to help ensure energy security through clean, cost-competitive, and sustainable power, said PFBSI chairman Rogelio Singson.

“We pledge to continue building more environmentally conscious projects as part of our commitment to a sustainable energy transition for the future generations,” Singson, who is also the president and CEO of MGen, 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.

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.

“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 Colayco.

Likewise, PFBSI vice chairman and PowerSource president and CEO Mr. Ricardo Lazatin said that “not even the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns we experienced during the construction period hindered us from completing this renewable project.”

“We are confident that this solar plant will help the much needed power requirements of our country especially during these challenging times,” Lazatin said.  —KBK/KG, GMA News