PGEC’s Bohol solar facility starts operations

MANILA, Philippines — Yuchengco-led PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC) has secured regulatory approval for its large-scale solar farm in Bohol, effectively granting it the authority to sell electricity commercially.

PGEC has received the green light from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines (IEMOP) for its 27-megawatt (MW) Dagohoy Solar Power Plant.

The ERC’s provisional authority to operate allows the plant to begin commercial operations, while IEMOP’s approval will enable the project to sell power in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM).

PGEC assistant vice president for power markets Dave Gadiano said the Dagohoy Solar is poised to add “much needed” indigenous and clean power in the province.

Bohol, he said, has long relied on imported electricity from neighboring areas, along with a small capacity from diesel and hydropower plants operating in the province.

“This milestone not only increases Bohol’s energy security but also boosts the provincial government’s efforts to make Bohol a premier ecotourism destination in the country,” Gadiano said.

“Our formal commercial participation in the WESM also marks the commencement of our power supply agreement with our offtaker SN Aboitiz Power,” he said.

Activated late last year, the P1.17-billion Dagohoy Solar is considered the first utility-scale solar facility in Bohol.

The solar farm is expected to generate around 41,000 MW-hours of clean power annually, enough to power over 18,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by about 28,600 metric tons.

The Dagohoy Solar is one of the four utility-scale ground-mounted solar projects totaling 111.58 MW under Rizal Green Energy Corp., a partnership between PGEC and Japan’s Taisei Corp.