Solar power proponent targets early project completion for FIT

MANILA, Philippines - Solar Philippines targets to finish two of its solar power projects with Megawide Construction Corp. ahead of the March 2016 deadline to qualify for incentives under the feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme.

The construction of the 70-megawatt (MW) solar project in Calatagan, Batangas is already in full swing, Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste said in a recent interview.

Originally at 60 MW, the plant’s capacity was hiked to 70 MW after the company ironed out transmission issues.

“We worked out with the interconnection huddle to insert more capacity into the grid,” Leviste noted.

The Calatagan solar project is targeted for completion by end-2015.

“Everything has been ordered and will be on site no later than the fourth quarter of this year, allowing us to commission the project by the end of the year,” Leviste said.

Apart from the Calatagan project, Solar Philippines and Megawide are also working on another project in Mindanao, which is also targeted to be under FIT.

“We are constructing a 40-MW facility in Mindanao and our intent is to finish that in time to get the Feed-in Tariff as well,” Leviste said.

The Mindanao project is scheduled for completion in January 2016, he noted.

With completion ahead of the deadline, these solar farms are in the running to avail of a set of incentives in the second round for solar under the FIT scheme. For this round, only 500 MW will qualify.

Solar developers have until March 2016 to complete and produce power from their projects to be eligible to receive the new P8.69 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) FIT rate, among other incentives.

Last May, Solar Philippines and Citicore Power, a sister company of Megawide, teamed up to build up to 250 MW of solar projects all over the country.