RE PROJECTS. The Pantabangan reservoir serves as a water source for First Gen Corp.'s Pantabangan-Masiway hydroelectric power plants. First Gen is considering installing a floating solar, along with renewable energy technologies like wind and battery energy storage systems near its hydro power complex in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. (PNA file photo by Kris M. Crismundo)
MANILA – First Gen Corp. is exploring to develop renewable energy (RE) projects near its hydroelectric power plant (HEPP) complex in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, including solar and wind farms as well as a battery energy storage system (BESS).
In a statement Tuesday, First Gen vice president Ricky Carandang said these planned RE projects in Central Luzon will contribute to the company’s target of a 9-gigawatt RE portfolio capacity by 2030.
These projects help the government to achieve its RE targets of a 35-percent share in the energy mix by 2030 and up to 50 percent share by 2040.
Carandang said these RE projects will complement the hydroelectric power plants of First Gen in Pantabangan, which include the 132-megawatt Pantabangan-Masiway HEPP and the newly acquired 165-MW Casecnan HEPP.
“Sites under consideration in Pantabangan for wind projects satisfy several criteria, like acceptable wind speeds and proximity to transmission line substations; while locations under consideration for solar farms meet their own peculiar criteria, like high irradiance and a flat terrain, aside from proximity to transmission line substations,” he said.
For the solar project, Carandang said the company is eyeing both ground-mounted and floating solar, which can help preserve the water resources from Pantabangan Dam by slowing down the evaporation process.
“Those are technologies we are looking at to couple with our hydro projects. There are several studies ongoing and we see a timeframe of two to three years for these projects to come into fruition,” First Gen senior vice president Dennis Gonzales said.
First Gen has already filed applications for service contracts with the Department of Energy for the wind projects, while studies are still ongoing for the solar and BESS projects. (PNA)
