More firms take RCOA option to go RE
As the energy sector’s Open Access goes in full swing, many AboitizPower customers have taken advantage of their power to choose by pushing sustainability and choosing renewable energy for their needs.
Under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA), power consumers with an average monthly demand of at least 1 MW can choose from among licensed retail electricity suppliers (RES) that are accredited with the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).
One of those who took advantage of this opportunity is the The Net Group (TNG), one of the pioneers in green buildings in the Philippines. Since 2013, it has partnered with the Cleanergy brand of AboitizPower to provide electricity to all its properties in Metro Manila.
“When we did open access, it was very challenging in the beginning. Luckily, we found a partner with a great track record and who is very willing to work closely with us to go through the requirements, technical procedures, and even the documentation,” Ramon D. Rufino, TNG co-president, said.
Net Group recently added its seventh green building – its biggest to date – with Net Park at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
According to Luis Miguel O. Aboitiz, executive vice president of one of the Philippines’ biggest power producers AboitizPower, demand for renewable energy has been growing with more and more companies seeing the value of sustainability.
“There has been a tremendous increase in the demand for RE in the last few years and we are happy that AboitizPower’s Cleanergy brand has a strong presence in this space thanks to our significant capacity from our RE power plants,” Aboitiz said.
“We will continue to ramp up our RE portfolio to ensure that we will remain the renewable power supplier of choice moving forward. This is consistent with our strategy of achieving a balanced mix of energy sources for the country.”
Another property giant, Eton Properties, have also converted several of its properties to be power by renewable energy – even those which host the BPO sector.
“BPO operations need uninterruptible, round-the-clock power supply, especially here in the Philippines where majority of BPO companies cater to international customers with different time zones. With AboitizPower as our power partner, we are confident that we will continue to deliver on our promise of quality and efficiency in our office developments,” he said.
Banking has also pushed sustainability further, with UnionBank and even the Asian Development Bank, powering their headquarters fully with renewable energy.
UnionBank President and COO Justo Ortiz said that the decision to go renewable is driven by the bank’s enduring sustainability principle focused on people, planet, and purpose.
Multinationals like Nestle Philippines are also taking advantage of reliable renewable energy sources. According to Technical Director Peter Winter, having a good partner like AboitizPower allows them to “continually look for better and sustainable solutions to reduce their carbon footprint and protect the environment in a more sustainable manner.”
For the Net Group, Rufino said the Open Access allowed them to explore various opportunities and studied various suppliers who have the capacity to meet their requirements.
“We had to go through a competitive selection process as best practice. AboitizPower came out as the winner in that process because they have been very supportive in all aspects and we have a lot of shared commitment to the environment and sustainability,” Rufino added.
AboitizPower’s commitment to continue building up its RE portfolio is in line with the Department of Energy’s (DOE) RE roadmap, which targets to increase RE installed capacity to at least 20,000 MW by 2040.
AboitizPower has a total net sellable capacity in RE of 1,263 MW and expects to expand it further with the completion of its 69-MW Manolo Fortich hydropower project in Bukidnon and the 8-MW Maris Canal hydro project in Isabela. It is commissioning its first biomass facility in Lian, Batangas through subsidiary Aseagas.
Last April, AboitizPower celebrated the successful restoration of the 6-MW Binary 1 plant at the MakBan Geothermal Plant.
Aboitiz said that AboitizPower will continue to invest in RE technologies that are viable to provide reliable, ample and competitively priced power to the country’s growing demand for energy.
