South Cotabato co-op to tap biggest solar power projects

MANILA, Philippines - The South Cotabato Electric Cooperative (Socoteco 1) in Mindanao has passed a unanimous decision that would pave the way for the establishment of the biggest solar power project in the country.

In a board meeting held recently in Koronadal City, Socoteco resolved that solar power would help address the power shortage in Mindanao given the reduced dependability of the Agus-Pulangi Hydro Power Plants in Mindanao.

As such, Socoteco would contract power from Solarus Partners, a solar firm, to reduce diesel fuel consumption in the daytime while the sun is producing power.  The cooperative would tap 12 megawatts of Solar power from Solarus.

Solarus Partners is a partner of mp tec, the biggest solar energy company in East Germany. In Europe, mp tec has installed over 200 MW in Europe and is currently constructing 50 MW in the United Kingdom.

The 12-MW solar power plant would be located in Surallah, South Cotabato and is expected to surpass the 1 MW Cagayan de Oro power plant built in 2004.

According to Solarus, the solar power plant will use poly-crystalline solar modules, state-of the art inverters, and German-made mounting systems.

It is expected to produce a minimum of 18, 360,960 kwh per year with a lifespan of 25 years.  Socoteco 1 President Remigio Armada said the approval solar tariff by the Energy Regulatory Commission would make the price of solar energy competitive.

Hence, by the end of year, customers of Socoteco 1 can benefit from the combined operations of diesel and solar and minimum power disruptions.

Socoteco general manager Santiago Tudio, for his part, said “the need to contract more power supply became compelling and urgent for South Cotabato Electric, given the fact that the National Power Corp. has indicated reluctance to provide 20 MW of Socoteco’s demand.

The cooperative’s contract with Napocor for 20 MW ends in August. “We have to find our own solutions and aggressively secure power from independent producers in order to protect our residential and commercial customers from power interruptions,” Tudio said.