Philippines' first solar baseload plant energized
Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) has energized the Philippines’ first solar baseload facility, a step toward increasing the share of renewable energy in the country's power grid.
The 197-megawatt peak (MWp) Citicore Solar (CS) Batangas 1 and its accompanying 320-megawatt-hour (MWh) BESS were officially energized to provide a baseload-level power supply.
The facility, which is complemented by a battery energy storage system (BESS), is valued at around ₱10 billion.
The BESS allows the facility to store and dispatch energy even outside of its normal operating hours.
Located in the Batangas municipalities of Tuy (Barangays Lumbangan and Luntal), the new plant is a key part of CREC’s goal to achieve one gigawatt (GW) of renewable energy capacity by the first quarter of next year.
Oliver Tan, CREC president and chief executive officer, noted the project’s importance, stating, “Our Citicore Solar Batangas 1 is the first in the Philippines to prove that solar can be true baseload power. This is a huge step forward in the country’s renewable energy transition.”
He added that with 1.5 GWh of BESS planned, CREC is ready to replicate this breakthrough starting in Batangas.
Other projects set to help CREC reach its 1 GW target include 760 MWh of BESS installations across three additional facilities in Batangas. Furthermore, 11 facilities in Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, and Negros Occidental are scheduled to come online by the end of 2025.
According to CREC, these projects are expected to generate enough power for approximately 800,000 households annually and reduce carbon emissions by around 2.8 billion tons.
“Soon, our country will no longer have to rely on unclean energy and the uncertainties of fuel importation. Instead, we will be powered by homegrown, reliable, and pure renewable energy—bringing us closer to our vision of Powering a First-World Philippines with Pure Renewable Energy,” Tan said.
The energization ceremony was attended by President Ferdinand Marcos, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Sharon Garin, and CREC Chairman Edgar Saavedra, among other CREC executives.
CREC currently has about 587 MW of existing renewable energy plants and a total battery capacity of around 320 MWh.