Solar farm to supply 12.5MW to Oro consumers
- Source:http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/local-news/2016/03/17/solar-farm-supply-125mw-oro-consumers-463207
- Thursday, March 17, 2016
- By Pamela Jay F. Orias
THE first solar farm in Northern Mindanao region has started full operations Thursday, feeding power to its lone customer, the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company Inc. (Cepalco).
Built on a 15-hectare land in Barangay San Martin in Villanueva town, the Kirahon Solar Farm has begun supplying power for Cagayan de Oro City’s 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. energy needs.
Speaking during Thursday's inauguration, Kirahon Solar Energy Corporation chairman Vicente Perez Jr. said the solar farm will produce 10 megawatts of electricity for the 23,500 households covered by Cepalco.
The power plant, ran by Minergy Business Park and Phividec Industrial Estate, which began initial operations in October last year, has 40,720 panels for power generation.
Perez said the electricity is directly interconnected to Cepalco's 34.5kV distribution line.
"Bawat kilowatt ay pumupunta sa Cepalco kasi kailangan ng Cepalco ngayon ang kuryente, should we choose to connect this to the National Grid, ang maaring maka-generate ay ang whole Mindanao," Perez said.
The P1.1-billion project offers cheaper electricity rate for consumers.
Perez, however, said the project does not only provide cheap electricity but also a clean and environmental-friendly renewable energy.
"Ito ay literal na environment-friendly dahil hindi na tayo mag-iimport ng 4.5 million liters of diesel fuel and we are able to avoid 14 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions every year," Perez said.
Perez said expansion of the solar farm is also underway.
Misamis Oriental Governor Yevgeny Vincente Emano, who attended the inauguration, said the solar farm has a positive effect to the tourism industry in the province.
"This would surely attract mga tourists, mga students who want to know how the solar power works," Emano said.
Emano added that he is looking forward that Misamis Oriental Electric Cooperative (Moresco) would be one of the customers in the planned expansion.
"Well, for one, the development of Cagayan de Oro is the also the development of Misamis Oriental. Nagsugod napud kog hinabi sila na sa expansion, pwede ba nila maapil ang moresco 1 and 2 and we are hopeful with that," Emano said.