PetroGreen fires up solar plant in Bohol

MANILA, Philippines — PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC), the renewable energy arm of the Yuchengco Group, has activated the 27-megawatt (MW) peak Dagohoy solar power project in Bohol.

Considered the first utility-scale solar facility in the province, the P1.17-billion project consists of more than 40,000 solar panels installed across a 22-hectare site.

The solar farm is expected to generate around 41,000 MW hours of clean power annually, enough to power over 18,000 homes and reduce carbon emissions by about 28,600 metric tons per year.

The project was constructed and will be operated by Dagohoy Green Energy Corp. (DGEC), a special-purpose vehicle under Rizal Green Energy Corp., a joint venture between PGEC and Japan’s Taisei Corp.

“In 2022, when we ceremonially broke ground for the project, we made a commitment to Boholanos that we would provide the province access to clean and reliable energy. Today is the realization of that promise,” DGEC president Francisco Delfin Jr. said.

Delfin is also hoping that the project would inspire local government units and communities to “embrace and support more renewable energy initiatives.”

The integration of the Dagohoy project into the Visayas grid is also expected to support local economic growth amid the booming tourism and economic landscape of the province.

“This project is a significant leap toward the energy independence of Bohol and aligns perfectly with our vision of inclusive growth and development and our aspiration of promoting Bohol as a beacon of sustainability in the country,” said Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado.

The switch-on ceremony followed the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines’ approval of the project’s energization as a load facility last month that signaled the actual start of testing and commissioning.

Besides the Dagohoy project, PGEC’s pipeline of solar developments also includes the 25-MW Bugallon project in Pangasinan, the 19.6-MW San Jose project in Nueva Ecija and the 41-MW Limbauan project in Isabela.