ACEN Corporation of the Ayala group and multilateral lending firm Asian Development Bank (ADB) have solidified their partnership in the “green power revolution” sphere, as the latter has switched on its renewable energy (RE) supply sourcing to the Ayala firm.

The bank will procure 100 percent RE-generated capacity from ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions (ACEN RES) to power its headquarters in Mandaluyong.

Under the supply agreement inked by the parties, “ACEN RES will power ADB's facilities with renewable energy from ACEN's portfolio of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.”

With its continuing patronage of clean energy sources, ADB is largely seen to be leading by example – and this is a solid nod to its environmental responsibility and its sustained call for a pivot to clean energy sources as the global pathway for the future to abate climate change risks.

ACES RES turns over the 'Powered by Renewable Energy Seal' to ADB for the latter's use of 100% renewable energy at its Mandaluyong headquarters. The event was attended by: ADB Vice President Bruce Gosper, Director General for Corporate Services Lakshmi Menon, and Director General for Private Sector Operations Suzanne Gaboury; and ACEN representatives, including President and CEO Eric Francia, Chief Finance Officer and Chief Strategy Officer Jonathan Back, Senior Vice President for Market Transformation Tony Valdez, Senior Vice President and Head for Corporate Communications and Sustainability Irene Maranan, and Vice President for RES Operations and Head of Account Management Sheila Mina.

As ADB Vice President for Administration and Corporate Management Bruce Gosper emphasized, the bank “is committed to lowering its carbon footprint - this includes sourcing electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.”

Beyond turning to green energy solutions, the bank is likewise proud of its other achievement in the efficient use of energy—another core foundation of decarbonization that the world has been striving to achieve in line with the 1.5 degrees C warming limit of the Paris Agreement.

ADB Director General for Corporate Services Lakshmi Menon noted that “despite the size of ADB headquarters, we have managed to consume less energy than other buildings with the same size and occupancy levels.”

He conveyed that as part of ADB’s sustainability efforts, “we have continued to source electricity from renewable sources since 2014. We’ve also done what we can to consume less in areas of water and paper while producing less waste.”

As a significant climate-advocate bank in the Asia Pacific, ADB’s move to source RE from a company that is a big-ticket clean energy portfolio player not just in the Philippines but also in the region can perceptively be viewed as a ‘soft endorsement’ for other organizations - including large-scale institutions - to pursue similar strategies in their energy usage. The ripple effect of this could be a substantial reduction in regional carbon emissions.

ACEN President and CEO Eric Francia considers the landmark supply deal as expansion of their collaboration with ADB, as the bank has also been a great part of the capital formation for the clean energy developments of the Ayala group.

“ADB has been instrumental in driving the growth of our renewable energy portfolio in the Philippines and around the region through sustainable financing," Francia stressed.

The Ayala firm indicated that as an offshoot of their new power supply covenant, the unique seal of ACEN RES stipulating “Powered by Renewable Energy’ had been awarded to the multilateral bank.

“The badge is typically given to ACEN RES customers who choose a 100 percent renewable energy supply,” the Ayala energy firm expounded.