Aboitiz Renewables to boost solar capacity, eyes 313 MWp by 2025
Aboitiz Renewables' Cayanga-Bugallon solar
In a push to expand its renewable energy (RE) portfolio, Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (ARI), the RE unit of AboitizPower Corporation, plans to increase its solar capacity by the end of the year.
In a briefing, Leo Lehbo Lungay, ARI solar and wind business group, vice president and general manager, announced that the company aims to energize 313.64 megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar power by December 2025.
“We have one [solar project] in San Manuel in Pangasinan, and then [another one] in Olongapo,” Lungay told reporters. AboitizPower revealed that the 212 MWp Olongapo solar project in Zambales is set to be its largest solar project disclosed to date.
ARI currently operates around 532.19 MWp of solar assets. Lungay elaborated, “we already have six: three [located in] Pangasinan, another one in Tarlac, and two in Negros Occidental.” The 173 MWp Calatrava solar project in Negros Occidental is ARI’s largest operational solar generation facility.
During a media tour of its Cayanga-Bugallon solar facility, ARI showed the 94.717-megawatt direct current (MWdc) solar plant, designed to follow the natural contours of the mountain terrain as it's built on non-arable sloping ground.
However, Lungay clarified that expansion at this site is unlikely, as the 44.6-hectare plant is strategically positioned to optimize solar energy capture.
Lungay also indicated the company's openness to developing floating solar systems. “We’re largely considering [this kind of technology]. It’s not outside of our radar, [and] it’s closer to our chest than before,” he said. “We have a floating solar in North Luzon… The fundamental requirement here is the body of water.”
He cited the need to acquire suitable water areas and assess project feasibility for grid connection.
Beyond solar, ARI is also making strides in its wind facilities. In January, the company acquired full control of the 90 MW Libmanan onshore wind project in Camarines Sur by taking over the shares of its former partner, Mainstream Renewable Power Philippines Holdings B.V. (MRP), in Cornerstone Energy Development, Inc. (CEDI).