First Gen Corporation is providing the exclusive Manila Polo Club with power from renewable energy (RE), specifically geothermal power, as part of the club’s sustainability program and to support the government’s energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) efforts.
In a statement, First Gen Vice President Carlo Vega said that Manila Polo recently signed a contract with the Lopez-led firm, through subsidiary Green Core Geothermal, Inc. (GCGI), to supply the members-only club with 550 kilowatts of electricity from a geothermal source in the next two years.
GCGI will be sourcing the electricity from its 112-megawatt (MW) Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Leyte.
“We at Manila Polo Club have launched a policy to adopt environment-friendly practices as part of our own efforts to mitigate climate change. Our program also supports Republic Act11285 [or the EE&C Act],” said Manila Polo Club general manager Noel Barrameda.
He added that using RE will allow the club to save on its electricity bills, as First Gen offered cheaper rates.
“This partnership helps reassure club members that their visits to our facilities for their relaxation and business meetings leave behind only a light carbon footprint,” Barrameda added.
Vega, for his part, also said that their partnership with Manila Polo Club shows that RE is not only clean, but it is also competitively priced.
GCGI, a retail electricity supplier under First Gen subsidiary Energy Development Corporation, is among the 13 participants in the Department of Energy’s green energy option program. Aside from its geothermal plant in Leyte, the firm also owns and operated another 192MW geothermal power plant in Negros.
On top of geothermal, First Gen’s portfolio of power plants also runs on other renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind, and solar. It also owns and operates power facilities that run on natural gas. As of 2020, it has a total of 3,495MW installed capacity.