DoE clears Solar Philippines unit for green energy program

SOLAR Philippines Retail Electricity, Inc. is the newest participant in the government’s green energy option program (GEOP), bringing the number of eligible renewable energy (RE) suppliers to 14.

In an announcement posted on its website this week, the Department of Energy (DoE) said the company joins power suppliers under First Gen Corp., AC Energy Corp. and the Aboitiz group, among others, as qualified entities under the program, as of Aug. 31. 

Leandro L. Leviste, founder and sole shareholder of Solar Philippines Power Holdings, Inc., told BusinessWorld via Viber on Thursday: “We do not have any fixed allocations as we are keeping our options open for the right opportunities.” 

He was referring to the firm’s planned capacity for the program.

The GEOP is a voluntary policy mechanism that allows consumers using at least 100 kilowatts of power to source renewable energy supply from an eligible retail electricity supplier.

The Energy department believes that the program gives end users the chance “to contribute to the development and use of renewables in a least-cost and sustainable manner.”

The 13 other firms included under the GEOP are: DirectPower Services, Inc.; Shell Energy Philippines, Inc.; Green Core Geothermal, Inc.; Citicore Energy Solutions, Inc.; Aboitiz Energy Solutions, Inc.; Prism Energy, Inc.; Adventenergy, Inc.; Bacman Geothermal, Inc.; First Gen Energy Solutions, Inc.; SN Aboitiz Power-Magat, Inc.; SN Aboitiz Power-Res, Inc.; AC Energy Philippines, Inc.; and the Sparc-Solar Powered Agri-Rural Communities Corp.

Last month, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) posted on its website the GEOP rules, which detailed the wheeling rates of qualified RE generating facilities, as well as the technical and interconnection standards, among others.

“In the long run, the GEOP will help us to achieve energy independence as it reduces our dependence on imported energy sources,” ERC Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Agnes VST Devanadera said in a previous statement. — Angelica Y. Yang