More comnpanies have expressed interest to put up solar power plants with a combined output of 2,916 megawatts, documents from the Energy Department showed over the weekend.
The bulk of the pending applications, or 2,030.40 MW, are proposed in Luzon, followed by Visayas at 708 MW and Mindanao at 177 MW as of June 30.
The large projects in Luzon pending approval from the department include the 100-MW Magsingal solar power station of Neoenergy Corp. in Ilocos Sur province.
Also pending are the 100-MW Sual, Pangasinan solar power project, the 100-MW Sison-Binalonan-San Manuel Pangasinal station of Solar Philippines Commercial Rooftop and another 100 MW from Solar Power Utilities Generator Corp. in Pampanga.
Other pending applications are the 120-MW Bacolod City solar power project of Asian Solar Options Corp. in Negros Occidental, 70-MW Cadiz City Solar plant of Pentre Al Sol Inc. also in Negros Occidental, 100-MW San Miguel of Sunpalo Solar Energy inc. in Leyte and 60-MW Manolo Forthich of Pilipinas Crosthwait Energy Corp in Bukidnon.
The department, however, not responded to the request of the National Renewable Energy Board to install an additional 500 MW of solar and 500 MW of additional wind capacity.
Energy officials earlier said a thorough study of the proposal was needed due to the impact of the power rates of consumers.
The Energy Regulatory Commission, meanwhile, has asked grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for operational data of solar companies that were given endorsements by the department for feed-in tariff eligibility.
The move is part of the regulator’s ongoing evaluation of the applications of solar for certificate for feed-in tariff.
“The Commission requests for operational data of solar power plants, particularly the power generated and actually delivered by RE power plants to the transmission and/or distribution network,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said in a letter to National Grid president Henry Sy Jr.
Salazar said the data should cover a six-month period from the date of commercial operations of 24 solar power plants with total capacity of 525.95 MW.
The ERC requested the operational data for the following companies: San Carlos Energy Inc. phase 1 (13 MW), San Carlos Energy phase 2 (9 MW), Raslag Corp. phase 1 (10 MW), Energy Development Corp. (4.1 MW), Philippine Solar Farm-Leyte Solar Power Plant (30 MW), Solar Philippines Commercial Solar Rooftop Project (1.5 MW) and San Carlos Solar phase 1C and 1D (23 MW).
Some solar developers earlier asked the ERC to look at the bases for the Energy Department’s endorsement of certificate of eligibility under the first and second wave of installation target totaling 500 MW.