First Gen supplying Ali Mall with hydropower

First Gen Corporation has been tapped by the Araneta Group to supply renewable energy (RE) to the iconic Ali Mall in Cubao, Quezon City.

The Lopez-led firm, through subsidiary Bacman Geothermal, Inc. (BGI), signed an agreement with Araneta City, Inc. (ACI), the Araneta Group’s property arm. Under the two-year deal, BGI will supply the mall with 2.1 megawatts (MW) of power from First Gen’s 132MW Pantabangan-Masiway hydroelectric plant in Nueva Ecija.

BGI is one of two First Gen retail electricity suppliers participating in the Department of Energy’s Green Energy Option Program.

“We at First Gen are happy that the Araneta Group has accepted our offer to be a partner in the task — even if daunting — of reducing the buildup of more heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” First Gen Vice President for Marketing Carlo Vega said in a statement.

“Small gestures like this, if taken together, will make a big difference in the fight against global warming and climate change,” he added.

Opened in mid-1976, Ali Mall was named after legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, who won the Thrilla in Manila match at nearby Araneta Coliseum nine months earlier. It is the Philippines’ first enclosed and fully air-conditioned shopping center, housing the first multiple cinemas or cineplex, the first food court, and the first multi-level covered parking area in the country. The historic mall remains a favorite destination among shoppers.

First Gen was also tapped by Megaworld Corporation to supply RE, specifically from geothermal sources, for its four buildings in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.