President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the Department of Energy (DOE) have underscored the significance of Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation’s (CREC) Batangas solar and storage facility in advancing the country’s renewable energy shift, describing it as a model for innovation, food security, and reliable power.

Speaking at the September 15 energization of Citicore Solar Batangas 1 in Tuy, Batangas, the President reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to scaling up clean energy investments.

“Habang ang Citicore at iba pang investors ay patuloy na nagtatayo ng mga pasilidad gaya nito, gumagawa naman ang pamahalaan ng mga hakbang upang isulong at palawakin ang renewable energy sa bansa (While Citicore and other investors continue to build facilities like this, the government is also taking steps to promote and expand renewable energy in the country),” Marcos said.

He cited measures such as the Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop and green lanes that speed up the approval of energy projects of national significance. The President added that government agencies, including DOE and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, are working together to ensure adequate transmission infrastructure for renewable energy delivery. 

“Sa katunayan, ang ilang proyekto ng Citicore, tulad nito (Solar Batangas 1 Power Plants) ay dumaan sa green lanes, na makakapagpabilis sa pagtupad ng mga ganitong proyekto (In fact, some of Citicore’s projects, such as this (Solar Batangas 1 Power Plants), have gone through the green lanes, which can accelerate the completion of projects like these),” he added.

The Citicore Solar Batangas 1 Power Plant spans Barangays Lumbangan and Luntal in Tuy. It integrates the 125-MW Lumbangan Solar Power Project and 72-MW Luntal Solar Project with a 320-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS). The facility can supply electricity beyond daylight hours and is expected to generate enough power for around 158,000 households.

“Makakatiyak kayo na ang inyong pamahalaan ay patuloy na maghahanap ng mga paraan upang makabuo ng mas malinis na enerhiya na magbibigay liwanag sa ating Bagong Pilipinas (You can be assured that your government will continue to find ways to generate cleaner energy that will bring light to our Bagong Pilipinas,” Marcos said.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, who joined Marcos at the ceremony, lauded Citicore’s integration of solar generation, energy storage, and agrivoltaics. “By putting in place utility-scale solar facilities with battery storage and agrivoltaics, these projects set a national benchmark for how private innovation and public policy can work together to speed up our energy transition and deliver real benefits to communities,” Garin said.

She called the Batangas project a “decisive boost” toward meeting the DOE’s target of 35% renewable energy in the national power mix by 2030, while also supporting food security and job creation.

CREC President and CEO Oliver Tan said the project proves that solar can now be a dependable baseload source. “Our Citicore Solar Batangas 1 is the first in the Philippines to prove that solar can be true baseload power. This is a huge step forward in the country’s renewable energy transition,” Tan said.

The Batangas site is part of 11 projects across Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, and Negros Occidental that will complete CREC’s first 1-gigawatt renewable energy portfolio by end-2025.

The DOE pledged to continue streamlining permitting and project approvals to accelerate renewable energy rollouts, while urging stronger collaboration between local governments and clean energy investors.

Does the combination of solar, storage, and agrivoltaics represent a turning point for the Philippines’ clean energy transition?

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