The Lopez-led energy company on Wednesday held groundbreaking ceremonies for the 54-megawatt Inara Solar Power Plant Project in Barangay Bilog-bilog, Tanauan City, Batangas.
Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, local government officials, and First Gen executives led by president Francis Giles B. Puno attended the ceremony, which included the lowering of a time capsule to mark the project’s launch.
“Solar brings accessibility, scalability, and abundance—allowing clean energy to be deployed more rapidly and across many locations,” Puno said.
“Through this project, we aim to expand renewable energy in a way that continues to create opportunities for both communities and industries,” he added.
Project development plans
The Inara project will occupy a 36-hectare property in Tanauan City.
The site has been designed to allow future expansion of the facility’s capacity to 100 MW, as well as the potential integration of a battery energy storage system to improve grid stability and operational flexibility.
First Gen also plans to incorporate agrivoltaics, or agri-photovoltaics, into the project’s design.
Under this approach, crops can be cultivated beneath the solar panels, allowing farmland to remain productive while also generating electricity.
“Energy production does not have to displace agriculture; the two can work together,” Puno said.
Power supply benefits
Once operational, the solar facility is expected to improve electricity services in the area by integrating its output into the distribution system of the Batangas Electric Cooperative (Batelec) II.
The project will also supply electricity to the First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), a 520-hectare economic zone located about 11 kilometers from the project site and home to more than 150 industrial locators.
Governor Santos-Recto said the project would help support the province’s economic growth.
“The Inara project is economically significant because it will help augment the rising energy demands of our growing industries and households,” she said.
“More supply of renewable energy means Batangas becomes an even more attractive investment destination.”
Expansion strategy ahead
The solar plant is targeted for completion by summer next year and forms part of First Gen’s broader plan to expand its generating capacity to 13,000 MW by 2030, adding roughly 9,000 MW in new capacity.
The company currently operates about 1,700 MW of capacity from 30 renewable energy facilities, including hydro, geothermal, solar, and wind plants.
The bulk of its expansion pipeline will focus on renewable energy projects, supporting the government’s goal of raising the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix to 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.
Other energy projects
First Gen is also expanding through partnerships and investments in other energy technologies.
The company is acquiring a 33 percent stake in the pumped storage hydropower portfolio of Prime Infrastructure Capital, which includes the 600-MW Wawa project in Rizal and the 1,400-MW Ahunan project in Laguna, both designated by the government as energy projects of national significance.
It also holds a 40 percent stake in four gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,017 MW, which help stabilize electricity supply by supporting baseload demand and balancing intermittent renewable sources.
In addition, First Gen has partnered with Indonesia’s PT DSSR Daya Mas Sakti, a subsidiary of PT Dian Swastatika Sentosa Tbk, to jointly develop six geothermal power projects with a combined potential capacity of 440 MW. —Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
