Sabang RE Corp. to complete Puerto Princesa solar-power facility in May

By Lenie Lectura - April 10, 2019

https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/04/10/sabang-re-corp-to-complete-puerto-princesa-solar-power-facility-in-may/

THE Sabang Renewable Energy Corp. (SREC) is scheduled to complete next month a 1.4-megawatt peak (MWp) solar-power facility in Puerto Princesa City.  

The SREC is a consortium of listed firm Vivant Energy Corp., Gigawatt Power Inc. and WEnergy Global. It will operate a hybrid power plant—combining solar panels and diesel engines—and an electricity distribution system at Barangay Cabayugan, Puerto Princesa City.  

It expects to complete in May the construction of its hybrid mini-grid system, which will provide stable, reliable and renewable energy that will power further growth in Cabayugan.

“We are not merely installing four diesel engines and a 1.4-megawatt peak [MWp] solar-energy system. We’ve been building our own grid from the ground up, and erecting electrical poles and cables spanning 14 kilometers since April 2018,” SREC Chairman Emil Garcia said.

Under optimal conditions, the hybrid plant will generate as much as 2.6MWp once it is completed. This will allow the mini-grid to provide power to approximately 10 public buildings, 18 small businesses, 19 hotels and restaurants, and 583 households.

Mini grids are small-scale power grids that can be operated independently from the country’s interconnected network of power-transmission facilities.

“By combining solar panels and diesel-fueled power generation, SREC will save the environment from over 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide while providing stable and reliable energy that will improve everyday living in Cabayugan,” the chairman said.

Sitio Sabang in Barangay Cabayugan, where the Puerto Princesa Subterranean National Park is located, is one of the many remote rural areas in the country that still have no electricity. Some of these areas rely on generators that are harmful to the environment and expensive in the long run.

SREC intends to provide Sitio Sabang and Barangay Cabayugan with reliable electricity 24/7 at the most competitive rate possible. Its hybrid mini-grid is the first step in solving this nationwide problem.