Asian energy group investing P1 B for Clark solar facility

MANILA, Philippines - Asian renewable energy group SSR C-Solar Power Inc. is investing P1 billion to power the masterplanned Clark Green City with solar energy.

SSR signed on Wednesday a 25-year lease agreement with state-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) for a 25-hectare parcel of land within Clark Green City.

BCDA said the lease agreement is renewable for another 25 years.

SSR will use the leased property to develop a solar farm which will serve as an alternative source of renewable energy in the 9,450-hectare metropolis located at the Clark Special Economic Zone.

SSR intends to initially install panels that will generate a target output of 20 megawatts (MW) which is expected to supply electricity to at least 10,000 households.

Construction of the solar farm is expected to begin in the last quarter this year, BCDA said.

Once completed, the solar farm will be the second largest solar farm in the country next to the 50-MW solar farm project in Calatagan, Batangas.

“Clark Green City will lead the way in providing clean, sustainable power,” said Arrey Perez, BCDA manager for business development, adding that hosting renewable solar power facilities is just one of the many environmental-friendly features of the Green City.

Aside from SSR’s 20-MW solar farm, Perez said another 100-MW solar energy contract is in the works in Clark Green City.

BCDA president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano Casanova said solar power has emerged as a viable alternative which will address major power concerns such as supply, spending and environmental impact.

“We want to create a Green City that is unique using solar power as an alternative source of energy. This partnership will be nurtured over the years. Together, we will move forward with critical infrastructure that could define the identity of the modern and sustainable city for our country,” Casanova said.

He added the succeeding number of solar panels to be installed and the corresponding increase in MW will generate enough energy to meet the power requirements of a substantial number of residences in the Green City.

Clark Green City is a flagship project of the BCDA under the administration of President Aquino  and is eyed as the country’s first smart, green and disaster-resilient metropolis when it breaks ground next year.

The Green City was patterned after Songdo, South Korea’s Green City, which features sustainable buildings and efficient energy sources, and also fashioned out of Singapore’s City in a Garden masterplan where communities are engaged and inspired to sustain a greener environment.