Two solar energy products with a combined capacity of nearly 100 megawatts have asked approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission to construct power lines connecting their solar farms to the transmission grid.
Solar Philippines Calatagan Corp. and Enfinity Renewable Resources Fourth Inc. filed separate petitions with ERC for their respective point-to-point dedicated facilities connecting to the transmission system of the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.
Solar Philippines is building a 50-megawatt to 63.3-MW solar power plant in Calatagan, Batangas, while Enfnity Philippines Renewable Resources Fourth Inc. is putting up a 25-MW to 33.6-MW solar plant in Digos City, Davao del Sur.
Both plants are nearing completion in line with the March 2016 deadline set by the Energy Department in order to qualify for the feed-in-tariff system.
Solar Philippines plans to connect the dedicated facility from the power plant to the grid through the National Grid Calaca switchyard while Enfinity Renewable plans to connect to the Matanao substation of the grid operator.
The power plants are applying for the inclusion of their power plants in the feed-in tariff system under second round of solar installation targets at a rate of P8.69 per kilowatt-hour.
“Enfinity’s need for a provisional authority for its Enfinity-Digos solar power plant is highly critical and urgent because of the DoE’s first-come, first-served policy on the allocation of the revised 500-MW solar installation target,” Enfinity said.
Only projects which connected to the grid or a distribution utility and could export power are qualified for the first-come-first served policy, it said.
Enfinity said it should qualify for the feed-in tariff because there was still no spot market in Mindanao.
“Enfinity’s successful connection to the Mindanao grid by 2016 will further help in addressing the issue of sufficiency of power in Mindanao,” it said.
Meanwhile, Solar Philippines said the completion of its solar facility would ensure additional capacity for Luzon during the dry months.