Danessa Rivera (The Philippine Star)
- June 5, 2016 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines – Solar
Philippines is pouring in around $100 million this year to build the first
phase of its solar panel production facility in Batangas, its top official
said.
In a text message, Solar Philippines
president Leandro Leviste said its Batangas facility, which can produce solar panels
equivalent to two gigawatts (GW), costs over $1 billion.
“The total two GW will cost over $1 billion,
but the first phase this year will be around just a tenth of that amount,” he
said.
The company announced Wednesday it
would build one of the world’s largest solar factories located in Tanauan,
Batangas in a period of three years.
The first section of the facility is
targeted to be operational by end-2016.
Solar Philippines has began the
procurement process for manufacturing equipment to start building the facility
in the third quarter of this year.
Leviste said the investment comes
after a shift in production from China to Southeast Asia.
Solar panels to be produced in the
factory will initially be used by Solar Philippines’ own projects and later as
exports to the US and Europe.
With the new production hub, the company
aims to lower panel costs, take control of the supply chain, and support the
new administration’s agenda to bring manufacturing to the Philippines, Leviste
said.
Solar Philippines has so far put up
solar rooftop installations in major malls, including SM North EDSA, SM Mall of
Asia, and the latest, Robinsons Starmills.
The company is also into large
utility scale solar farms. It has recently completed a 63.3-MW solar farm in
Calatagan, Batangas.
It is working on new projects in
Luzon and Mindanao to reach a portfolio of 500 MW by 2017.
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