The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued certifications for energy projects of national significance (CEPNS) to at least 13 major renewable energy (RE) projects of publicly listed Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) - and that will enable the company to fast-track commercial development of these blueprinted facilities.
With planned installed capacity of 800 megawatts and will potentially require $600 million investments, the CEPNS stature bestowed on the Citicore projects had been anchored on the company's major win in last year's second phase of the green energy auction (GEA) program.
The CEPNS, which was being enforced as policy since 2017 under Executive Order 30, would be able to expedite regulatory processes for critical energy projects and require a speedy permit process within 30 days, according to the company.
CREC specified that "these GEAP-2 initiatives are part of its goal to generate five gigawatts of clean energy capacity in the next five years."
The projects include the 430-megawatt alternating current (MWac) ground-mounted solar and 362 MWac of onshore wind developments. They are being developed in Pangasinan, Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental sites.
CREC President and Chief Operating Officer Oliver Tan commended the DOE for classifying their targeted installations as 'projects of national significance; stressing that “the DOE is making great strides in the transition to renewable energy through measures like the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (EVOSS) Law and the issuance of CEPNS."
“The recognition of our 13 projects underscores the importance placed by the government in the swift completion of RE projects, which are typically affected by challenges in securing permits and clearances,” Tan added.
“We thank the DOE for acknowledging the criticality of RE to the country’s energy security and urge other government agencies to support our country’s renewable energy targets,” he said.
At present, CREC operates at least 10 utility scale solar power facilities with aggregate capacity of 285 megawatts.