Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. of businessman Enrique Razon Jr. started the construction of a 140-megawatt solar power project in Tanauan, Batangas and Marogondon, Cavite.
Prime Infra’s unit Solar Tanauan Corp. held the groundbreaking ceremony for the project on April 11, together with representatives from the provincial governments of Batangas and Cavite and project partner PowerChina B7 Philippines Corp.
“Our project here at Solar Tanauan Corp. embodies the values that we, as a company, and I personally align with. We have a strong ESG commitment and sustainability focus and as such, our goal is to develop and operate our assets in a socially relevant manner,” said Solar Tanauan chair Katrina Razon.
“We are here to celebrate the future of renewable energy and the impact we can have on our environment not just in the Philippines but in the world. It is a reminder of the importance of collaborating together towards a common goal, a shared vision and how collective efforts can make a transformative difference. I hope that this event will inspire many to take action towards a regenerative future,” she said.
The Tanauan and Maragondon solar power plants, which will have total annual generation capacity of 202 gigawatt-hours, is expected to power over 84,000 households and displace more than 100,000 tons of coal a year.
“Prime Infra continues to address the need for dependable power supply as it aggressively supports the transition to clean energy and a low-carbon economy through our portfolio of renewable energy projects,” Prime Infra president and chief executive Guillaume Lucci said.
“We thank our government partners for making our vision possible. Through close collaboration, we will be able to deliver a project that will benefit generations to come,” he said.
Solar Tanauan director Donato Almeda, Calabarzon Regional Development Council chair and Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas, Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla, Marogondon Mayor Lawrence Arca, Embassy of People’s Republic of China in the Philippines Minister Counsellor Yang Guoliang and chief representative of PowerChina to the Philippines Zhao Zhihao attended the ceremony.
Mandanas and Remulla underscored the partnership with the Razon Group in building a more sustainable future for their provinces and the region.
“We are preparing for a future-proof province here in Cavite and together, we will grow; together, we will prosper,” said Remulla.
“Tanauan is one of our most progressive cities where we have a lot of industrial estates and fortunately now, we are going to have renewable energy coming from the group of Prime Infra,” said Mandanas.
Yang underscored the cooperation of China and the Philippines in energy.
“The Philippines has sufficient sunlight and great potential for solar energy development. The development of photovoltaic projects not only alleviate the shortage of electricity consumption, optimize the energy structure, but also promote the employment of residents and improve people’s livelihood and well-being,” said Yang.
The Prime Infra Group has a pipeline of renewable energy projects in different stages of development with a total gross installed capacity of about 5,700 megawatts of solar generation and 4,000MWh (minimum) of energy storage system.