LISTED energy company MRC Allied, Inc. is planning to partner with electric cooperatives in off-grid areas to build power generation plants using a hybrid of solar energy and other technologies, its top official said.

“We want to do at least one next year,” said Gladys N. Nalda, MRC Allied president and chief executive officer.

She said the venture would be of “lesser scale” than the other projects the company is looking into, including a liquefied natural gas facility and big solar farms. The company has recently signed a number of memorandum of understanding with Chinese companies for these bigger ventures.

Ms. Nalda said there are areas under the National Power Corp.’s small power utility group which are planning “embedded” generation projects or those that directly supply the franchise area on which they are located.

“We are exploring that. So we’re looking at going into those business models,” she said.

She said the initial off-grid power development project would be small — at a capacity of less than 1-megawatt (MW), and the mode of ownership could either be a joint venture or partnership with the electric cooperatives.

Ms. Nalda said the cooperatives’ participation could be limited to the land on which the power plant would be built.

“I just want to know how it will work,” she said, adding that if the venture turns out to be successful it may be replicated in other areas.

MRC Allied, a company incorporated in the 1990s, was known previously as a property firm that diversified into mining. It announced its diversification into energy development early this year, eventually making this as its main business purpose.

Ms. Nalda previously said for this year, MRC Allied has 160 MW of solar capacity in the pipeline — 100 MW in Clark Green City, Pampanga and 60 MW in Naga City, Cebu.

In October, MRC Allied bought a 15% stake in a company that partly owns a 50-MW solar project in Brgy. Castilla in Palo, Leyte province.   

The move is part of MRC Allied’s “aggressive effort” to develop at least 1,000 MW of clean and renewable power in the next five years. — Victor V. Saulon

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