JG Summit subsidiary completes mammoth solar rooftop project in Batangas
At A Glance
- The forward clean energy investment plans of Merbau include portfolio of projects in partnership with other affiliates - primarily Robinsons Land Corporation for its malls and industrial warehouses; URC for its manufacturing plants and distribution channels; then for Cebu Pacific as well as other companies within the Gokongwei group; while further RE ventures will also target customer-clients outside of the conglomerate.
Merbau Corporation, the renewable energy (RE) business unit of the Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings, Inc., has viably advanced to commercial operation its 13.811-megawatt peak (MWp) solar installation in Batangas City, a project touted as the biggest in the solar rooftop genre that has been developed so far in the country.
The facility, which is sited along Barangays Simlong and Pinamucan Ibaba in Batangas, will be supplying solar-generated electricity to the integrated petrochemical complex of JG Summit -- home to the manufacturing plant of affiliate -firm JG Summit Olefins Corporation (JGSOC) as well as the packaging division of Universal Robina Corporation (URC).
“This solar project highlights the conglomerate’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions,” the Gokongwei firm said; while also noting that the installation will help pare the overall power consumption of their facilities.
According to Merbau President and CEO Patrick Henry C. Go, the solar installation “marks a significant step in our journey as we aim to become a leading renewable energy company in the country.”
Onward, he indicated that Merbau is “looking into a portfolio of projects in partnership with Robinsons Land Corporation (for its malls and industrial warehouses), URC (for its manufacturing plants and distribution channels), Cebu Pacific, as well as other companies within the Gokongwei Group.”
Go highlighted that the conglomerate plans “to expand our RE portfolio to be able to deliver power to eligible end-users outside of the Group in our commitment to solidify our dedication to sustainable and innovative energy solutions.”
For the solar rooftop installation in Batangas, this spans through the rooftops of at least nine buildings – and it was carried out in two phases, with construction starting in August 2022.
As emphasized, the first phase with 5.8MW capacity was delivered December last year; while the bigger installation of 8.0MW comprising phase 2, had reached commercial completion in April this year.
The project’s advancement to its commercial operations date (COD) phase had been attained with the help of Merbau’s engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor Upgrade Energy Philippines (UGEP), a company that has been cementing its niche in solar rooftop installations for the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector.
Ruth Yu-Owen, president of UGEP, said their installation for Merbau, has been a reinforcement to their company’s target to be a leading player “ in the country’s energy transition goals and demonstrates our dedication to driving sustainable solutions and contributing to a greener future.”
Merbau expounded “the project aims to reduce power consumption sourced from both the in-house produced and from the national grid.”
And as more corporates are now cementing their respective net zero goals, JG Summit qualified that its energy supply sourcing shift will tangibly result in “significant reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the use of renewable energy sources.”
As estimated, the solar facility could yield energy savings of 17.8 gigawatt-hours annually; while also trimming greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the scale of 17,000 tonnes on a yearly basis – to be reckoned from the energy usage of both the JGSOC and URC warehouses and building offices within the petrochemical complex.