Filipino firm Real Steel Corporation (RSC) has cemented a deal with TotalEnergies ENEOS, a joint venture between French firm TotalEnergies and Japanese firm ENEOS, for a 16.8-megawatt solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftop installation at the former’s manufacturing facility in San Simon, Pampanga.

In a media statement, the steel company indicated that the project “aims to significantly reduce operational expenses and the carbon footprint of the nation’s first high-speed rolling mill.”

The solar rooftop facility will have more than 22,000 solar PV modules in the installation; and its  estimated renewable energy-based generation will top 26,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) on an annual basis.

As prescribed in the agreement inked by the parties, “TotalEnergies ENEOS will install and maintain the PV system, while RSC will be the operator and owner of the asset from the commissioning.”

The business arrangement firmed up was proposed by TotalEnergies ENEOS, and as explained, this “ensures a neutral cash flow for RSC for the first 10 years of engagement.”

Beyond that decade-timeframe,  the steel firm emphasized that it can already “fully benefit from the asset for its entire lifespan of around 30 years.”

According to William T. Chen, chief financial officer of RSC, their company is “dedicated to spearheading sustainable practices within the steel industry.”

Given that the major goal of the Marcos administration will be heavy infrastructure buildout, he expounded that these targeted developments will certainly shore up demand for steel in the country – and that is a market that RSC will be setting its keen focus on for business growth. But this time, with a difference because the chain of its operations will now lean on green solution for its energy usage.

“By implementing the largest rooftop solar PV system in the Philippines, we are accelerating the production of lower carbon, high-quality steel products for the Philippine market," Chen said.

For his part, TotalEnergies ENEOS Renewables Distributed Generation Asia Director Elodie Renaud noted that their company will “actively contribute to their long-term sustainability and growth objectives,” of its customer-RSC.

He stressed “as a leading solar service provider for commercial and industrial businesses, TotalEnergies ENEOS is committed to aiding companies like RSC in reducing their energy costs and carbon footprint through our expertise in tailored renewable solutions.”

On its monumental shift to clean technology in meeting its energy needs, the steel firm is looking forward to substantial cost savings it can generate from its solar rooftop solution.

Further on its revolutionized decarbonization pathway, RSC has calculated “remarkable reduction in the company’s carbon emissions by approximately 12,800 tons of CO2 per year,” that is equivalent to planting at least 200,000 trees.

Atty Marissa P. Cerezo, director at the Renewable Energy Management Bureau (REMB) of the Department of Energy (DOE) qualified that the agreement between the TotalEnergies-ENEOS tandem and RSC “will certainly contribute in our efforts to bring the Philippines closer to our goal of increasing the share of renewable energy in power generation by 50% in 2040.”

By the same token, Remy Tirouttouvarayane, deputy head of Mission at the Embassy of France in Manila, conveyed that “”the steel industry is at the heart of economic activity and a major contributor to the development of the Philippines;” and in that precept, he reckoned that the signing of the solar installation project will enable Real Steel in “leading the way for the whole local industry … to reduce carbon footprints.”