Carmen Copper Corp. said Friday it has successfully commissioned a 3-hectare floating solar power facility on the Malubog Reservoir within its copper mine site in Cebu. The company stated this marks the Philippines’ first operating megawatt-scale floating photovoltaic (PV) installation.
The facility, designed and built by Black & Veatch, a global human critical infrastructure leader, incorporates 8,540 solar panels. These panels are capable of generating up to 4.99 megawatts (MW) of clean energy, which will fulfill 10 percent of the copper mine’s power requirements.
The floating solar array has a scalable capacity of up to 50 MW, which could eventually power Carmen Copper’s entire mining operation with renewable energy.
The project includes a prefabricated substation and a 6-kilometer overhead distribution line that connects to Carmen Copper’s existing 34.5-kilovolt (kV) substation. The company reported that the project was completed in 15 months, on time and within budget, with over 250,000 man-hours logged without any lost-time injuries.
Axel Tumulak, Carmen Copper head of legal, compliance and corporate governance, said thje initiative reflects Carmen Copper’s commitment to responsible mining and environmental stewardship, while aligning with the Department of Energy’s target to have renewable energy account for at least half of the country’s total power capacity by 2040.
Carmen Copper is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atlas Consolidated Mining and Development Corp.
