CEED: SPNEC must honor green energy promise
Issues on power transmission may curtail the current momentum in the renewable energy market, with a Pangilinan-led company even wishing to withdraw from a solar project, according to analysts.
Terry Ridon, convener of Infrawatch PH, told Inquirer that these were “among the most significant stumbling blocks” in accelerating the adoption of clean energy across the Philippines as industry players would need to spend more to link their facilities to the grid.
On Aug. 13, SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC) of billionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan sought the Department of Energy’s approval to terminate the award it bagged in 2022 for the 280-megawatt (MW) solar project in Nueva Ecija.
SPNEC president and chief executive Emmanuel Rubio said the decision was due to “challenges faced by this project, particularly on transmission constraints.” The power veteran stressed this was “beyond our control.”
Meanwhile, the DOE said the group cited “force majeure” as its reason.
Avril de Torres, deputy executive director of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), said transmission needs should not be considered an “unforeseeable problem.”
“It’s unfortunate that Meralco is backing out of an opportunity to finally walk its renewable energy talk, and break away from its history of peddling dirty and costly energy from fossil fuels,” de Torres said in a separate message to Inquirer.
