First Gen signs deal to supply clean energy to Taiwan Fructose
Lopez-led First Gen Corp. (FGen) is set to supply renewable energy (RE) to Taiwanese sweetener company Taiwan Fructose Co. Ltd. from its geothermal assets.
In a statement on Thursday, Sept. 4, FGen announced it has signed an agreement with Taiwan Fructose Philippines to transition the power supply of its facility in the First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP) to clean energy.
This RE supply will be sourced from the Bacon-Manito (Bac-Man) geothermal complex in Bicol through the Green Energy Option Program (GEOP). This initiative allows eligible customers to choose a clean energy source to meet their energy demands.
The total capacity to be integrated into the manufacturing facility has yet to be disclosed by the company.
Carlo Vega, FGen’s Chief Customer Engagement Officer, praised the partnership, which he said will help the manufacturing facility achieve its sustainability and decarbonization goals.
"Geothermal energy is a renewable energy source that can run at baseload capacity, which is ideal for industries that require a stable 24/7 power supply with a lower carbon footprint," he said.
Taiwan Fructose's facility exports various sweetening products like glucose and fructose syrups, along with other sweet additives and health supplements.
FGen currently operates 28 renewable energy power plants, including geothermal, wind, solar, and hydropower, with a combined capacity of around 1,600 megawatts (MW).
In addition to GEOP agreements, the company is also expecting to welcome more clients via the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP). This program allows smaller end-users to combine their power demand to meet the minimum threshold and select their preferred electricity supplier.
Last month, Vega shared that the company has five more projects with a total of around five MW that are set to switch to RAP by November.