Petro Energy expands renewable footprint with new solar plant


Yuchengco-led Petro Energy Resources Corp. (PERC) announced that its San Jose Solar Power Plant in Nueva Ecija has begun exporting renewable energy to the Luzon grid, its second utility-scale solar facility to come online.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday, Dec. 23, PERC said the plant, which utilizes 24,600 units of 670-watt-peak (Wp) and over 4,500 units of 675 Wp Trina photovoltaic panels, is expected to generate approximately 29 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually.

"The San Jose solar plant is the second utility-scale solar plant we've brought online this year, following the successful power export from our Dagohoy solar plant in Bohol on November 12, 2024," said Maria Victoria Oliver, PetroGreen Energy Corp.'s vice president for commercial operations.

"It's the fourth new renewable energy facility PGEC has launched this year, including the partial commissioning of our 13.2 MW Nabas-2 wind power project in Aklan on April 4, 2024, and the 360 KWp Mapua Malayan Colleges of Mindanao rooftop solar facility in Davao City on July 8, 2024,” she added.

The San Jose solar project, developed by San Jose Green Energy Corporation (one of four special purpose firms under Rizal Green Energy Corp. (RGEC)), began construction in the fourth quarter of last year and was completed in November 2024.

Dave Gadiano, PetroGreen assistant vice president for power markets, explained that the solar facility's initial power export was made possible after receiving approvals from the Independent Energy Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP).

"This milestone follows the IEMOP's issuance of the project's Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) registration as a generating unit and the NGCP's Provisional Approval to Connect on December 19 and 20, respectively," he said.

"The facility was energized as a load unit on December 11, enabling the timely testing of the substation transformer and other electrical components before grid export,” he further said.

RGEC is a joint venture between PetroGreen and Japan-based Taisei Corporation. In addition to the San Jose solar project, RGEC has also commissioned the 27MWp Dagohoy Solar project in Bohol, the 25MWp Bugallon solar project in Pangasinan, and the Limbauan solar project in Isabela.