FREE, Cemex sign long-term PPA for ground mounted solar project to help power Cebu cement manufacturing plant
Cemex Philippines, a leading cement producer in the country, has signed a contract with Filinvest-ENGIE Renewable Energy Enterprise, Inc. (FREE), to develop a 10.08 MW ground-mounted solar system in Cemex’s facility in Apo Cement Plant in the City of Naga, Cebu. This solar energy project is expected to avoid over 10,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.
FREE is a joint venture company of FDC Utilities, Inc., the power utility arm of diversified conglomerate Filinvest Development Corporation, and ENGIE Services Philippines, the local division of ENGIE, a global leader in low-carbon energy and services.
“This solar energy partnership is another milestone under Cemex’s Future in Action program, as we progress closer to our goal of reducing scope 2 emissions, coming from electricity sources that supply us, to less than 24kg of CO2 per ton of cementitious product by 2030,” Luis Franco, Cemex Philippines President and CEO, said.
“We are proud to partner with FREE, a company that shares our vision to address climate change through sustainable projects. This is a win not only for Cemex, but also for the planet as we take concrete steps in making renewable energy the future of the industry,” Franco added.
In addition, Cemex and ENGIE have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore the implementation of various renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions for Cemex’s facilities in the City of Naga, Cebu, to help the company advance its sustainability goals.
Juan Eugenio L. Roxas, President and CEO of FDCUI and subsidiaries, including FREE, said, “FREE and Cemex are poised to set new benchmarks in clean energy integration, signaling a transformative alliance that reflects a collective dedication to environmental stewardship and forward-thinking business practices. Filinvest and ENGIE, leveraging our combined expertise, are pleased to play an integral role in helping Cemex climb the sustainability mountain.”
The APO Cement 10.08 MW solar project, one of the biggest solar projects in Cebu Province, is the first collaboration between the companies and is part of Cemex’s global Future in Action program, under which the company focuses on developing lower-carbon products, solutions, and processes to become a net-zero CO₂ company by 2050.
Once completed in 2024, this solar facility will add to the carbon-free electricity sources that Cemex has been utilizing in its operations, and it will be the biggest user of solar energy among cement plants in the Philippines to date.
FREE and Cemex look forward to contributing to the Philippines National Renewable Energy Roadmap’s (2017-2040) target of 20 GW of installed renewable energy capacity by 2040 with this project.