San Miguel to build 200-MW solar farm to energize Bulacan airport

SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) plans to construct a 200-megawatt (MW) solar farm in Bulacan to power its New Manila International Airport project, the firm said in a press release on Wednesday.

SMC is looking to build the renewables farm on its 2,500 hectare-lot in Bulacan.

The solar farm will house a battery energy storage facility that can stockpile and release power based on the P740-billion airport’s energy demands, SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon S. Ang said in a statement.

“This battery storage will be a viable solution to balancing electricity loads and storing unstable energy supply coming from the sun and other renewable sources of energy, which we are looking to utilize for the airport,” Mr. Ang said.

This, according to him, is part of the company’s approach in shifting to technologies that will help in transitioning to cleaner fuels, while helping SMC balance the power demands of the economy. Mr. Ang added that the company also had “significant investments” in battery storage technology across the country.

Last month, the Senate approved the franchise bill for the construction and operation of SMC’s airport in Bulakan Town, Bulacan province. The firm earlier said the groundbreaking for the airport is scheduled to happen “by the end of the year.”

The project is seen to “give the economy a major boost” by contributing around 9% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the firm said.

SMC’s energy portfolio includes a mixture of coal, hydro, natural gas, and LNG power plants.

SMC shares on Wednesday inched up by 0.88% to P114.50 apiece. — Angelica Y. Yang