13 CREC projects certified for expedited processing

CITICORE Renewable Energy Corp.’s (CREC) 13 renewable energy (RE) projects, with a combined capacity of around 800 megawatts (MW), are now eligible for expedited permit processing, the Saavedra-led company said on Monday.

The company’s projects have received “certificates of energy projects of national significance” from the Department of Energy (DoE), CREC said in a statement.

“The recognition of our 13 projects underscores the importance placed by the government in the swift completion of RE projects, which are typically affected by challenges in securing permits and clearances,” CREC President and Chief Executive Officer Oliver Tan said.

The projects are comprised of 430 megawatts alternating current (MWac) of ground mount solar and 362 MWac onshore wind projects.

These are located in Pangasinan, Bataan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.

The awarded projects from the second round of DoE’s Green Energy Auction Program are part of the company’s goal to build five gigawatts of clean energy capacity in five years.

The certification, under Executive Order No. 30 signed in 2017, expedites the issuance of regulatory procedures and processes of local and national government agencies. 

“We thank the DoE for acknowledging the criticality of RE to the country’s energy security and urge other government agencies to support our country’s renewable energy targets,” Mr. Tan said.

CREC, directly and through its subsidiaries and joint ventures, manages a diversified portfolio of renewable energy generation projects, power project development operations, and retail electricity supply services.

At present, it has a combined gross installed capacity of 285 MW from its 10 solar power facilities in the Philippines. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera