EDC to finalise 4.1-MW Philippine solar park in Mar

Philippine firm Energy Development Corp (PSE:EDC) expects to add a further 4.1 MW of renewable power generation capacity to North Luzon in March, when its local solar park begins commercial operations.

Both the 4.1-MW solar power station and EDC’s already completed 150-MW Burgos wind farm will be operating under the country’s feed-in tariff (FiT) program and selling their generated electricity to the spot market, Aloysius Santos, vice president of EDC’s parent First Gen Corp (PSE:FGEN), told reporters on Thursday. According to Santos, EDC is now considering other wind projects in Luzon.

The two plants will help the Luzon grid handle an expected power supply shortage this summer and the scheduled maintenance shutdown of the Malampaya natural gas field from mid-March to mid-April 2015.

EDC commissioned the USD-450-million (EUR 393m) Burgos wind park in November 2014. The plant comprises 50 Vestas turbines of the V90 model.