The location of the first solar farm in Dagohoy town in Bohol province. | Photo from FB page of Erico Aris Aumentado
MANILA, Philippines — Rizal Green Energy Corp. (RGEC), a unit of Yuchengco-led PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC), took another step in developing the P1.2-billion first solar power plant in Bohol province with the installation of photovoltaic (PV) panels.
RGEC said its special purpose company, Dagohoy Green Energy Corp. (DGEC), placed the first batch of solar panels in the 27-megawatt solar facility in Dagohoy town.
The installation comprised 32 panels of 665 watts capacity each stringed in a 21-meter-long and about 5-meter-wide table mounted about 1 meter above the ground.
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Upon completion, the entire 22-hectare project site will be covered with 1,270 solar tables consisting of 40,628 units of Trina Solar-brand panels that produce 41,000 megawatt-hours of power annually.
The solar farm would serve around 15,000 households in the province and connected to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ 69-kilovolt Bohol transmission line.
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Power shortage and climate issues
RGEC, a partnership between PGEC, the renewable energy arm of the Yuchengco Group’s PetroEnergy Resources Corp., and Japanese general contractor Taisei Corp., is the proponent of the Dagohoy solar project.
The solar power plant, slated for completion by the fourth quarter of 2024, would be the first utility-scale solar power facility in Bohol, which has been relying on power supply from Leyte and Cebu provinces.
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RGEC President Francisco Delfin Jr. said the latest milestone would help address “interrelated power shortage and climate issues.”
“Given the power supply shortage and the extreme heat we are presently experiencing, any additional power from decarbonized and renewable sources can only be timely for the country, in terms of ensuring electricity supply and mitigating climate variability,” he said.
| Photo from the FB page of Erico Aris Aumentado
Renewable energy
During the event on Wednesday, Bohol Gov. Erico Aristotle Aumentado requested RGEC and PetroGeen “to consider investing in more renewable energy projects in the province as they can be assured of Bohol’s positive reception to such investments.”
Dagohoy Mayor Hermie Relampagos said the project has generated significant additional jobs for residents, leading to new small-scale businesses.
In a social media post, Aumentado said that solar power plant in Dagohoy was just one of the many power producers that will operate in their province.