AC Energy’s 63-MW solar farm in Zambales commences operations

Ayala-led AC Energy Corp. on Tuesday announced that its 63-megawatt (MWS) GigaSol Palauig solar farm in Zambales has now commenced operations.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, AC Energy said that despite the challenges in construction amid the pandemic, Gigasol Palauig has begun generating power for supply to the Luzon grid.

The P2.39-billion facility located in Zambales will generate over 90 million kilowatt-hour (kWh) of clean power to support the country’s demand.

“The Palauig solar farm is the first of AC Energy’s five new plants to begin operating in 2021, making it quite an exciting year for the company’s Philippine operations,” said Jose Maria P. Zabaleta, chief development officer of AC Energy.

“This is all the more important as these new plants can help offset some supply shortfalls in recent months, and help to reduce the elevated prices seen in the market caused by these shortages,” Zabaleta said.

AC Energy noted that it has also started the construction of its next solar farm in Arayat-Mexico, Pampanga.

The 72-MW solar project is a 50-50 joint venture with Citicore Solar Energy Corporation (CREC).

The project is estimated to cost P2.75 billion and will be ready to begin its operations and supply power to the grid by the summer of 2022.

"We are also very excited about the Arayat-Mexico project, which is our first venture with CREC. Our collaboration over the past 18 months has been very successful, and we look forward to growing that in the years to come,” Zabaleta said.

The developments in Central Luzon are the latest in AC Energy’s renewables growth strategy as the company continues to embark on a transformation journey.

In its recent annual stockholders’ meeting, AC Energy announced its exceptional turnaround performance for the year 2020, and the record P3.75 billion in net income it generated.

The power generation company said it remains focused on its renewables expansion through continuous renewable energy investments.

Despite the difficult year, the firm said it has further expanded its portfolio and augmented its generating capacity with the construction of two new solar plants, battery storage and firming facilities in Luzon.

The company’s 2020 investments created more than 3,000 jobs within its host communities that became vital pieces towards reigniting the economy and creating economic activity.

AC Energy said it now has over 1,000 MW of attributable capacity in the Philippines, with almost half coming from renewable sources.—AOL, GMA News