CREC starts work on 41-MW Pampanga solar project

MANILA, Philippines — Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) has begun work on its first “embedded” solar power project in Pampanga, a facility directly linked to a distribution utility.

The project, which is designed to have a capacity of 41 megawatt-peak (MWp) complemented with a 53-megawatt-hour battery energy storage system, will be connected to Pampanga 1 Electric Cooperative (Pelco I).

READ: CREC secures P4-B loan for two solar farms

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CREC said this will be the Philippines’ first embedded solar with integrated renewable energy and energy storage system (IRESS) facility.

Industry players as well as the government have been pushing for the use of power storage systems to address the issue of variable renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. The technology allows developers to capture excess electricity and release it when the demand is high.

The Saavedra-led group is aiming to complete the project by 2027.

“Citicore’s long-standing partnership with Pelco I since 2024 is really about creating tailor-fit energy solutions meant to ease the burden of soaring electricity costs to the cooperative’s member-consumer-owners,” said Jerard Garcia, president of Citicore Energy Solutions Inc.

“We remain steadfast in strengthening our relationship as we bring clean and sustainable power for Kapampangans,” Garcia said in a statement Friday.

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The company previously obtained a P4-billion loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines to develop two embedded solar projects, including the Pelco I facility.

The project is CREC’s third in Pampanga and follows the activation of the 115-MWp Arayat-Mexico solar park and the 42-MWp Citicore Solar Pampanga 1.

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READ: CREC profit rises 14% on solar power sales

The other embedded solar asset is located in Nueva Ecija, with the same capacity and storage system.

Aside from solar energy, CREC has interests in wind and hydro projects. It has an ambitious target of scaling up its renewable energy capacity to 5,000 MW by 2028, from its current over 500 MW. INQ