DISTRIBUTION transformer manufacturer First Philec, Inc. is set to launch a “super green” transformer model made out of a 100% recyclable and biodegradable materials in the market this year.
First Philec, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lopez-led First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH), said that it had scheduled the transformer’s rollout in the fourth quarter of 2021, initially for the local market.
In a press release on Monday, First Philec President Ariel C. Ong was quoted as saying that the company’s new transformer model offers the “highest efficiency” in its class and allows for extended product life use, aside from helping customers to reduce their carbon footprint.
“All metallic parts of our upcoming transformer model are recyclable; while all its non-metallic components will be biodegradable or recyclable,” Mr. Ong said.
“The new transformer model will use an insulating coolant from natural ester, which is a vegetable-based and non-polluting oil product from renewably sourced and sustainably grown crop seeds. Any accidental release of the transformer’s non-metallic parts poses no risk to the environment due to its full biodegradability,” he added.
The “super green” transformer also features an amorphous core, a magnetic material which will contribute to higher efficiency levels and lower losses, according to First Philec Customer Development Head Luis Antonio D. Trinidad.
Mr. Trinidad said that the firm’s new transformer model is seen to “reduce distribution losses and improve distribution efficiency to create savings, and this will benefit distribution utilities and their customers.”
Standard manufacturing practices in many countries rely on petroleum and single-use plastic packaging, among others, Mr. Ong noted. But the firm’s use of environment-friendly raw materials and avoidance of plastic waste will mark a departure from this practice, he said.
The firm is still finalizing the price of the transformer model.
First Philec has installed 250,000 transformers across the country, and currently has two plants inside the First Philippine Industrial Estate in Batangas.
FPH, the parent firm of First Philec, earlier said that its attributable net income last year slid 22% to P9.9 billion as revenues dropped due to the economic disruptions caused by the global health emergency.
FPH’s major business segments are in manufacturing, power generation, real estate development, and construction and other services.
Shares of FPH in the local bourse. improved 1.20% or 85 centavos to finish at P71.45 apiece on Monday. — Angelica Y. Yang