CCLEX installs solar farm to power daily operations

CEBU, Philippines —  As part of its commitment to sustainability, the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) taps renewable energy to power the day-to-day operation of its 8.9-kilometer modern toll expressway.

CCLEC has already completed its P60-million on-grid and hybrid solar farm that is expected to generate at least 50,400 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy per month.

The project forms part of the more than P150-million investment that the company has poured into sustainable projects and initiatives.

The solar farm will be fully energized in April and is anticipated to bring in substantial cost savings in the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway’s (CCLEX) power consumption.

It will supply the expressway’s daytime power requirement for roadway lights, traffic control room, closed-circuit television cameras, road weather information system, variable message signs, and toll plaza.

“The completion of our solar farm is a significant milestone in our drive towards being more sustainable in our operations by reducing our carbon footprint and promote the use of clean, renewable energy,” said CCLEC President & General Manager Allan G. Alfon.

The solar farm is expected to gain carbon emission savings of 237,082 kilograms or the equivalent of 7,076 trees planted.

CCLEC has installed a total of 862 photovoltaic panels strategically located in three different areas inside the expressway—Toll Plaza, the Toll Operations Center building, and a vacant area by the causeway occupying 3,500 square meters.

“Setting aside a significant area for this project is staying true to our mission of bringing good life to people, not only through our infrastructure developments but also through sustainable practices,” added Alfon.

Other Sustainable Efforts

Aside from the solar farm, the CCLEC has installed 13 oil interceptors along the expressway, a P60.7-million investment to prevent contaminants from polluting the sea.

These interceptors collect vehicle grease and oil that spilled on the road and are washed away by rain. The slope of CCLEX helps rainwater run-offs to flow directly to these oil interceptors, which separate oily waste from the water before the latter is discharged to the sea.

CCLEX also has a sewage treatment plant, which cost P9.6-million, that uses a hybrid moving bed biofilm reactor and membrane bioreactor, an advanced and efficient system for treating sewage. It has a treatment capacity of 65 cubic meters per day.

Wastewater treatment helps protect people and the environment from harmful elements found in effluents before these are discharged into the sea.

The CCLEX has also put up a 235-meter noise barrier to protect the nearby Cordova orphanage and help reduce traffic noise for the benefit of the children being cared for and studying inside the institution.

The P20-million noise barrier was incorporated in CCLEX upon the request of and in consultation with the management of Children’s Haven of Albert Schweitzer Familienwerk Foundation Philippines, Inc.

CCLEX, an engineering feat and Cebu’s new iconic landmark, is seen to not only ease traffic congestion in the metro but also spark socio-economic development in the province.

CCLEX, now considered the tallest and highest bridgeway structure in the country, is a project of CCLEC, in partnership with the local government units of Cebu City and Municipality of Cordova.

CCLEC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the toll road arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), a publicly-listed infrastructure holding company and a member of the MVP Group of Companies.

MPTC is the largest toll road concessionaire and operator in the Philippines. The company’s expansion goals include establishing toll operations in the Visayas, other parts of the Philippines, and in neighboring countries, notably Vietnam, and Indonesia. — PR, GAN (FREEMAN)