Monday, January 31, 2011

SunConnex allots $100 million for solar projects

By Donnabelle L. Gatdula (The Philippine Star) Updated January 31, 2011 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines -  SunConnex, a solar power developer based in the Netherlands, is planning to invest more than $100 million for solar power projects in the Philippines.
Jos Schlangen, SunConnex business development manager, said the company would want to build solar wind plants with as much as 50-megawatt (MW) capacity.
He said they would want to initially start with smaller projects with five to 10-MW capacity then go big with a 50-MW capacity project in the future.
Schlangen said they are now in the process of closing contracts with some potential partners. “SunConnex has seen and done it all before and we want to share that knowledge with our partners. You can count on us to be a reliable and trustworthy partner in this business. We can’t disclose names as we are in the process of closing contracts, but we are all over in the country, Luzon, Mindanao and Visayas,” he said.
At present, SunConnex is a specialized photovoltaic (PV) product distributor. Through local offices in five European countries, it offers a wide portfolio of reliable high-quality brands of solar modules, inverters, mounting systems and other accessories.
SunConnex was founded in 1989 and gained unique experience in several of the world’s largest PV projects throughout the last decades.
The SunConnex official said they also consider putting up larger projects.
“It is large, with a range of more than 50-MW, all over the country, yes we are the developer and we have local partners also to construct and to build, and we take care also of financing, and we do it ourselves or we could do it also with partners,” he said.
He said they are also talking with various potential financial institutions to help them finance some of their projects. “Yes, maybe talked to several banks and investors, that’s ongoing,” he said.
As with other renewable energy developers, the official said they would like to see the rate setting scheme finalized by the government soon. “But like everyone, with FIT, we can push a lot of buttons and things are moving but at the moment we are preparing like all the others,” he said.
FIT is a guaranteed revenue for RE developers set and approved by the government for a certain period of time.
He pointed out that the setting of the FIT would help the renewable energy developers firm up their goals.

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