Oakridge Realty Development Corp. (ORDC) signed an agreement with First Gen on Sept. 23 for the installation of a 648-kWp solar facility at Mantlewood Town Center, its newly opened township project, and a 405-kWp solar power plant atop its flagship Oakridge Business Park.
Anne Liu, ORDC president, said in a statement that the projects would build on the company’s shift to renewable energy and help reduce the environmental impact of its operations.
“Our transition to renewable energy at Oakridge Business Park was an important step in reducing the environmental impact of our operations. The addition of on-site solar allows us to take this commitment further and extending it to Mantlewood Town Center is part of how we want to develop our properties moving forward,” she said.
“As our developments grow, we want to continue finding practical ways to reduce our carbon footprint and integrate cleaner energy solutions into how we operate,” she added.
Properties
ORDC is the property development arm of Cebu-based LH Paragon Group Inc., a diversified holding company with operations in the Philippines and overseas. Its businesses include Golden ABC Inc., which owns fashion brands Penshoppe, OXGN, ForMe, Memo, Regatta and Bocu; wood distributor Matimco Inc.; healthcare and diagnostic provider Clinica Prime; and Greentree Food Solutions, which operates the homegrown food brand 10 Dove Street.
Mantlewood Town Center is a master-planned development covering approximately 40,000 square meters along S.B. Cabahug Street in Mandaue. Its first phase opened on July 30, with Robinsons Supermarket and Clinica Prime as anchor establishments, alongside retail and dining outlets.
The development aims to bring daily conveniences and amenities closer to where people live and work.
ORDC is among the first in Cebu to avail itself of the government’s Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) program, which allows qualified electricity consumers to choose and contract directly with their power suppliers.
Oakridge Business Park along A.S. Fortuna Street in Mandaue is the first mixed-use property in Cebu to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy (RE) through its partnership with First Gen. The property also features electric vehicle charging stations and solar-powered charging stations for mobile devices.
The partnership has since expanded to include energy audits and remote energy monitoring systems to help improve electricity use and manage costs.
Energy resilience
Mark Malabanan, vice president at First Gen Energy Solutions, said the rooftop solar facilities would help strengthen ORDC’s energy resilience and manage fluctuations in electricity costs.
“We remain committed to supporting ORDC in its decarbonization journey and its goal of reducing the carbon footprint of its properties,” he said.
First Gen is a leading renewable energy producer in the Philippines, with 1,700 megawatts of generating capacity across 31 hydroelectric, geothermal, solar and wind facilities nationwide.
One substantive point: I changed “Retail Competition Open Access” to “Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA).” That is the standard name. I also changed “directly contract power producers” to “choose and contract directly with their power suppliers,” which is more accurate because contestable customers do not necessarily contract with power producers themselves. — Ed: Corrie S. Narisma
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