Amid pending applications for solar power plants, the Department of Energy (DOE) has not yet responded to the National Renewable Energy Board’s request to install 500 megawatts (MW) each for solar and wind energy capacity.
DOE officials previously said the proposal needed to undergo a thorough investigation as approving the additional capacities could impact power rates.
Despite this, solar power plant applications have a combined capacity of 2, 030.40 MW in Luzon, 708 MW in Visayas and 177 MW in Mindanao as of June 30.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has asked the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) for the operational data of solar companies endorsed by the DOE for the feed-in-tariff (FIT).
“The Commission requests for operational data of solar power plants, particularly the power generated and actually delivered by RE power plants to the transmission and/or distribution network,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said in a letter to NGCP.
ERC requested data for the Energy Development Corp. (4.1 MW), Philippine Solar Farm’s Leyte solar power plant (30 MW), phase 1 of Raslag Corp.’s power plant (10 MW), San Carlos Energy Inc. phases 1 and 2 (13 MW and 9 MW, respectively), San Carlos Solar phases 1C and 1D (23 MW), and the Solar Philippines Commercial Solar Rooftop Project (1.5 MW).
Among the large projects still pending approval in Luzon are the 100-MW solar power projects of Solar Philippines Commercial Rooftop Projects, Inc., the 100-MW Magsingal Solar Power Project of NeoEnergy Corporation, the 100-MW San Miguel solar power project of Solarnation Power Corp. and the 100-MW Pantabangan solar power project of San Lorenzo Ruiz Builders and Developers Group, Inc.
Projects in Visayas include the 120-MW Bacolod City solar power project of Asian Solar Options Corporation and the 100-MW San Miguel solar power project of Sunpalo Solar Energy Inc. The 60-MW Manolo Fortich solar power project of the Pilipinas Crosthwalt Energy Corp. in Bukidnon in Mindanao is also still awaiting approval.