PLDT group partners with First Gen for renewable energy
PANGILINAN-LED PLDT Inc. and its wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. tapped First Gen Corp. to power their network facilities with renewables.
“We are once again tapping First Gen’s geothermal energy supply to increase the renewable component of the energy mix of our critical facilities in Mindanao,” PLDT Vice-President and Sector Head for Property and Facilities Leo Gonzales said in a media release on Sunday.
Lopez-led First Gen will power the group’s six network facilities in Mindanao with renewable energy (RE), allowing it to reduce its power costs, the company said.
Among the telco facilities that will be powered with renewables is PLDT Ponciano, the company’s regional facility that caters to VITRO Davao, its data center in Mindanao.
“This switch will also make VITRO Davao the first data center of the telco firm to be powered 100% by RE,” it said.
“This enables us to future-proof our facilities, reduce our operational expenses, and support the government’s Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) in the region,” Mr. Gonzales said.
Launched in 2018, GEOP is a voluntary policy mechanism that allows users who consume at least 100 kilowatts to source power from qualified electricity retailers supplying RE.
The expansion of PLDT’s partnership with First Gen allows the company to generate P23 million in savings on energy and operational costs, PLDT said.
PLDT added that it would also allow the company to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 13,000 tons per year.
Last year, PLDT and Smart signed a power supply partnership with First Gen to power their network facilities in Cebu, Samar, and Iloilo with geothermal energy.
PLDT said it also expects to further expand its energy supply mix by tapping into other energy sources like solar and wind energy sources.
For 2024, the company plans to shift more facilities to renewable energy, PLDT noted.
“In addition to the transition to RE, PLDT and Smart have been venturing into the adoption of green technologies and various resource optimization initiatives for their network sites, business offices, and key facilities nationwide,” PLDT said.
First Gen is a power generation company with a diversified energy portfolio including natural gas, geothermal, hydro, wind, and solar. It is targeting to grow its RE portfolio to up to 13 gigawatts by 2030.
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