EDC, Silliman University renew power supply deal

Lopez-led Energy Development Corp. (EDC) will supply geothermal power to Silliman University (SU) for another two years, along with partial supply from the university’s own solar panels.

“We did the math and we saw some savings but more importantly, it is the quality of life that we give to our students on campus. They see that we walk the talk, they see that our campus is green, and the savings from our en-ergy is also passed on to our students so economically, it has benefited the university as far as energy use is concerned,” SU’s Vice President for Development Jane Annette L. Belarmino said in a statement sent on Wednesday.

From its initial two-year contract in 2020, the university in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental was able to reduce 2,602 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

The geothermal power will be generated locally from EDC’s Nasulo geothermal facility in Valencia, Negros Oriental, the company said.

“[The renewal of contract is] our institution’s commitment in institutionalizing our Environmental Principles, Policies, and Guidelines that serves as the blueprint for the university’s major component activities in which the re-newable energy utilization is one,” SU President Betty Cernol McCann said.

Apart from the power supply agreement, EDC and SU are also partners in planting 10 million trees for 10 years to rehabilitate the forests on Negros Island.

“In 2020, SU and EDC inked a memorandum of agreement to establish the Silliman-EDC BINHI Arboretum inside the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CENTROP), the university’s field laboratory grounds in Palinpinon, Valencia, Negros Oriental, to provide a safe haven for the long-term survival of our Philippine native trees,” the company said.

Last year, SU also committed to EDC’s net zero carbon alliance, which targets to forge collaboration with different entities in the county that have committed to becoming carbon neutral and helping decarbonization efforts na-tionwide.

EDC, a subsidiary of First Gen Corp., has over 1,480 megawatts (MW) in its portfolio, accounting for 20% of the country’s installed renewable energy capacity. Its 1,181-MW geothermal portfolio accounts for 62% of the country’s installed geothermal capacity. — Marielle C. Lucenio