President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Monday led the energization of the Citicore Solar Batangas 1 Power Plants, the country’s first hybrid agro-solar and battery storage system.
Speaking before government officials, local leaders, and executives of Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. in Tuy, Batangas, the President said the initiative represents a “very, very important step” in the country’s transition to renewable power and will deliver cleaner electricity to thousands of households while boosting food production.
“This project shows the world that solar power is the path toward a sustainable and clean way of providing light to our homes and industries,” Mr. Marcos said.
The facility, which covers the Lumbangan and Luntal Power Projects, has a 197-megawatt capacity supported by a 320-megawatt-hour battery storage system.
It is expected to supply electricity to about 158,000 households while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by more than 265,000 tons annually, equivalent to removing thousands of cars from the road.
A key feature of the project is its “AgroSolar” component, which allows farmers to plant crops beneath and around the solar panels, a practice known as agrivoltaics.
The President stated that the setup maximizes land use, supplements farmers’ income, and strengthens food security while generating renewable energy.
“Food security and renewable energy can progress together. This is proof that when there is concern, there is a way,” Marcos said.
He urged government agencies to keep pace with the private sector’s innovation, citing the Department of Energy’s green lanes and the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop, which streamline permits for renewable energy projects.
The President also praised Citicore’s plan to build five gigawatts of clean energy capacity in the next five years, including what could be the country’s first one-gigawatt solar project.
