LOPEZ-LED First Gen Corp. has partnered with cement producer Holcim Philippines, Inc. to supply the latter’s manufacturing plants with electricity from geothermal energy sources.
First Gen will provide renewable energy (RE) to meet 22% of the power needs of Holcim’s manufacturing facilities in Bunawan, Davao City, and Lugait, Misamis Oriental, the energy company said in a statement over the weekend.
“We are pleased to partner with Holcim Philippines to grow viably while decarbonizing. It’s not an easy journey to decarbonize and provide for a regenerative future,” First Gen President and Chief Operating Officer Francis Giles B. Puno said.
“This requires collaboration not just through supplying power, but also through solutions that maximize and optimize electricity requirements and working to find a pathway towards net zero,” he added.
The power supply for Holcim will come from the geothermal plant in North Cotabato, owned by First Gen’s subsidiary Energy Development Corp.
The partnership between First Gen and Holcim resulted from the introduction of the government’s Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) in Mindanao.
Under RCOA, eligible power consumers whose monthly average peak demand reaches at least 500 kilowatts can choose their own electricity supplier.
“This partnership is a significant step towards meeting our goal to source 65% of our power needs from renewable energy by 2030 to decarbonize our business,” Holcim Philippines President and Chief Executive Officer Nicolas George said.
“We are excited and confident to work with First Gen, a company that shares our strong commitment to sustainability and is a leading provider of renewable energy in the country,” he added.
Holcim Philippines operates cement manufacturing facilities in La Union, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental, and Davao, as well as aggregates and dry mix business and technical support facilities for building solutions.
Meanwhile, First Gen records a combined capacity of 3,668 megawatts (MW) from its 30 power plants. It has 26 facilities that use solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy. Its four other power plants, with over 2,000 MW of capacity, run on natural gas. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera
