Mini-grid provider Advantec Philippines plans to invest $1.2 billion to $2 billion in building the first of a series of micro-solar power grids within economic zones starting with an industrial zone in Pampanga provinces.
Advantec Philippines president Noriaki Sanada said the company is expanding its footprint in the Philippines after cornering a specific market in Japan.
“We’re working on a micro-grid project in Pampanga. This is renewable energy proposal utilizing solar power. Since solar cannot supply power in the nighttime, we will provide power options though battery systems,” he said.
The company is equipped to provide power source to companies and locators inside the economic zones that are working on 24-hour shifts.
Advantec said it is also prepared to ramp solar power capacities up to 2,000 megawatts, aligning iterations with the increasing number of locators and their power requirement.
Sanada said the company was encouraged by a slew of benefits offered by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to locators and technology providers.
The company is particularly interested in the tax incentives given to companies locating in the ecozones, the abundance of hardworking young workforce who are English literate and the Philippines proximity to Asian countries including Japan.
Its parent company in Japan has more than 20 years’ experience in constructing mega solar farms.
Its key technologies for net zero energy building includes solar systems, energy management systems, battery systems, emergency back-up systems and micro-grid smart city.
Advantec and PEZA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in October 2023 for power supply to PEZA ecozones.
Advantec will move on to Cavite, after Pampanga, for another micro power grid project to power industries in Cavite economic zones.