^{Photo credit: Vena Group}

Around 1,160 Olive Ridley sea turtle hatchlings have been released into the wild in Ilocos Norte this season, marking the strongest output to date for the Pawikan Conservation Project, a marine biodiversity initiative tied to the energy sector’s growing sustainability footprint.

The project, implemented along the coastline of Ilocos Norte, is a partnership between The Mead Foundation and Nuevo Solar Energy Corp—a joint venture involving Vena Group and Meralco PowerGen (MGEN)—with support from the provincial government.

Since its launch in 2022, the initiative has now facilitated the release of 2,007 hatchlings, underscoring a sustained conservation effort alongside ongoing energy developments in the province.

In a LinkedIn post, Singapore-based green energy solutions provider Vena Group said the initiative has now facilitated the release of 2,007 hatchlings, underscoring a sustained conservation effort alongside ongoing energy developments in the province.

Vena said its project teams and partners participated in a release event at Currimao in December, releasing 52 hatchlings at dawn.

“Five of the world’s seven sea turtle species are found in the Philippines, making conservation efforts here particularly important,” Vena Group said. “We’re proud to be playing a part in protecting them.”

Vena Group and MGEN’s collaboration centers on the Nuevo Solar Energy Corp. (NSEC), a 68-MWac solar facility in Currimao, commonly referred to as the Garcia 2 Solar Project, which began commercial operations in 2023 and forms part of MGEN’s broader push to expand its renewable energy portfolio in Luzon’s northern corridor.

How should energy-linked infrastructure projects in the Philippines balance development and biodiversity protection—especially in coastal communities hosting renewables?

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