First Gen starts construction of 54-MW Batangas solar farm

LOPEZ-LED power producer First Gen Corp. has started construction of a 54-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Batangas, marking the company’s entry into utility-scale solar projects.

In a statement on Wednesday, the company said it had broken ground on the Inara Solar Power Plant Project in Tanauan, with the project cost estimated at P2.1 billion.

Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto and other local government officials joined First Gen President and Chief Operating Officer Francis Giles B. Puno and other company officials at the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.

First Gen’s first utility-scale solar power project will cover a 36-hectare property, which includes space for a potential expansion to 100 MW and the possible integration of a battery energy storage system to support operational flexibility and grid stability.

“Solar brings accessibility, scalability, and abundance — allowing clean energy to be deployed more rapidly and across many locations. Through this project, we aim to expand renewable energy in a way that continues to create opportunities for both communities and industries,” Mr. Puno said.

Aside from supplying electricity to the grid, the company plans to incorporate a provision for agri-photovoltaics (agri-PV) in the facility’s design, which combines agriculture and solar power generation within the same area.

“This [agri-PV approach] means farmers can continue cultivating crops even as solar panels generate electricity above,” Mr. Puno said. “Energy production does not have to displace agriculture; the two can work together, allowing the same land to support both food production and clean energy.”

Once completed, the solar farm will supply electricity to First Philippine Industrial Park, a 520-hectare economic zone that hosts more than 150 locators.

The facility is also expected to help improve the quality and reliability of services provided by the Batangas Electric Cooperative (Batelec) II by embedding the project within its distribution system.

The Inara project is scheduled for completion by the summer of next year and forms part of the First Gen Group’s plan to expand its capacity to 13,000 MW by 2030.

First Gen currently has about 1,700 MW of generating capacity from 30 hydropower, geothermal, solar, and wind facilities across the country. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera