Aboitiz Power to build 239-MW solar farm in Negros Occidental

MANILA, Philippines — Aboitiz Power Corp. is poised to strengthen its solar capacity in Negros Occidental to 471 megawatt peak (MWp) with the activation of a new power asset targeted by 2028. The group said its unit Aboitiz Renewables Inc. has begun work on the 239-MWp Luna Solar Power Plant in Barangay Luna, Cadiz City in late July. It is the group’s biggest solar undertaking in the Visayas. This follows Aboitiz Power’s 173-MWp Calatrava Solar Power Plant and the 59-MWp SacaSun facility. The solar farm will be equipped with a 65-MW battery energy storage system (BESS), marking the company’s first integrated renewable energy and storage system on Negros Island. Industry players invest in BESS to complement variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, as the technology allows producers to store excess generated power and release it when demand peaks. “Our solar journey began here in Negros Occidental with SacaSun, our very first solar plant in San Carlos City. As we break ground on Project Luna—which will surpass even Calatrava once in operation—returning to this island for our third and biggest project feels like coming home,” Aboitiz Renewables president Jimmy Villaroman said in a statement. “Returning to this island is a deliberate choice as Negros Occidental has proven itself an ideal hub for renewable energy, not only because of its natural potential but because of the proactive local policies that allow clean energy projects to move forward with confidence,” he added. At present, the group’s renewables portfolio includes 45 clean power facilities across the Philippines, including solar, hydro, geothermal and energy storage. Aboitiz Power is set to further cement its position in the renewables game, with a development pipeline of more than 1,800 megawatts in solar, hydro and wind projects. In the first six months of the year, the company recorded a core profit of P18 billion, a 41-percent increase from a year ago. The strong financial performance was attributed to higher energy prices and higher capacity from its hydro and solar segments. INQ