Mondelez Philippines, the local unit of global snack manufacturer MondelÄ“z International Inc., tapped geothermal producer Energy Development Corp. to supply power to the former’s manufacturing plant in Sucat, Parañaque City.
Under the agreement, EDC will supply 100-percent geothermal energy to Mondelez from the 150-megawatt Bacon-Manito Geothermal Project in the Bicol region.
“We are proud to source our power from 100-percent renewable energy. Sustainability for our company is about preserving our world and its people. We all depend on just one planet. The smart and sustainable use of natural resources to reduce our environmental footprint is necessary now more than ever. This latest initiative complements our other sustainable projects in the Philippines,” said Mondelez Philippines plant lead Atul Kulkarni.
Mondelez Philippines is best known for providing Filipinos with snack products such as Eden cheese, Cheez Whiz, Tang powdered beverage, Oreo cookies, Toblerone and Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate.
Aside from its goal of being a snacks leader in the country, Mondelez wants to set the benchmark in being a responsible business and contributing to the community where it operates in.
Globally, the company has declared its 2020 sustainability goals, which include the 15-percent reduction of its absolute carbon dioxide emissions in its manufacturing worldwide by 2020. The shift of its Sucat plant to 100-percent renewable power is Mondelez Philippines’ contribution towards achieving this goal.
“We have a biomass boiler which uses biodegradable sources of fuel, a rainwater treatment facility in our plant to lessen water waste, plastic waste recycling projects and solar power systems, which all contribute to the achievement of our sustainability goals,” Kulkarni said.
EDC head of business development, marketing and trading Marvin Kenneth Bailon said the company is honored to have a global company such as Mondelez Philippines sharing the same values with them.
“Geothermal energy, for us, is the holy grail of renewable energy. It is the only baseload renewable energy, which means it can run 24/7, without depending on the seasons. This makes it a reliable source of uninterruptible power,” Bailon said.
EDC is one of the world’s largest geothermal producers and the country’s leading renewable energy company with an installed capacity of 1,471.8 MW.
It is a subsidiary of Lopez-led First Gen Corp., the country’s largest clean energy company with a portfolio that includes natural gas, geothermal, solar, wind and hydro.
EDC and First Gen Corp. were included in the latest list of the world’s top 200 biggest and greenest companies, recognizing its efforts as a green company. The list, called the Carbon Clean 200, ranks companies according to the size of their revenues from clean energy sources.
Based on the latest list, First Gen ranked 113rd with estimated clean energy revenues of $632 million in 2017 while EDC occupied the 139th slot with estimated clean energy revenues of $494.72 million.
The latest ranking covering the third quarter of 2018 marked the third time for EDC and the first time for First Gen to make it to the Carbon Clean 200.
