Around 800 megawatts of renewable energy (RE) projects being developed by Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) were declared as energy projects of national significance by the Department of Energy (DOE).
The DOE presented the certificates of energy projects of national significance (CEPNS) to 13 CREC projects this month, which the company won under the Green Energy Auction Program 2 (GEAP-2) held in July 2023.
The projects include 430 MWac of ground mount solar and 362 MWac of onshore wind developments in eight provinces: Pangasinan, Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.
These projects are targeted for completion by 2024 to 2026.
CREC’s GEAP-2 projects are part of the company’s goal to build 5 gigawatts of clean energy capacity in five years.
“The DOE is making great strides in the transition to renewable energy through measures like the EVOSS Law and the issuance of CEPNS. The recognition of our 13 projects underscores the importance placed by the government in the swift completion of RE projects, which are typically affected by challenges in securing permits and clearances,” CREC president and chief executive Oliver Tan said in a statement.
The CEPNS, under Executive Order 30 series of 2017, was designed to streamline and expedite regulatory procedures and processes of local and national government agencies affecting energy projects deemed critical to the development of the country, including action of application of permits and requirements within 30 days, and automatic approval of applications within five working days after the 30-day period has lapsed without action.
“We thank the DOE for acknowledging the criticality of RE to the country’s energy security and urge other government agencies to support our country’s renewable energy targets,” Tan said.
CREC is also the parent firm of the Philippine’s first renewable energy REIT, Citicore Energy REIT (CREIT).
