LEGAZPI CITY – The Energy Development Corp. (EDC) activated a new PHP7 billion facility in Sorsogon City on Friday as part of its efforts to harness the country's rich indigenous geothermal resources.

Jerome Cainglet, EDC president and chief operating officer, said in a statement that the inauguration of the 22-megawatt (MW) Tanawon Geothermal Power Plant "is a win for the country's energy security and climate resilience journey."

"We dedicate it to our communities, government partners, and everyone committed to a decarbonized, regenerative future," he said.

The project, completed after 27 months, is a product of a "committed collaboration" between EDC and its mother unit, First Gen Corp., and their key contractors First Balfour and Toshiba, "as well as strong government support," Cainglet said.

The Department of Energy, meanwhile, thanked First Gen-EDC for supporting the government's push for energy security and climate resilience.

In her message, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the commitment echoes the call of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who has consistently emphasized that climate action and energy security are not opposing priorities.

“This is a commitment of a clean source, secure climate resilience economically developed country. As the President frequently emphasizes, build a future where progress and sustainability go hand in hand, and the best example is this project, the Tanawon project,” she said.

Garin said under the Philippine Energy Plan, the agency is working to increase the share of renewable energy to 50 percent by 2040.

The Tanawon Geothermal Power Plant is projected to have a net annual generation of 159,000 MW hours, contributing significantly to the country's baseload renewable energy capacity and helpin avoid approximately 38,312 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

The new facility is the second among First Gen-EDC's seven growth projects to be commissioned, the first being the 29MW Palayan Binary Geothermal Power Plant that was inaugurated on July 5, 2024.

The EDC targets to commission four of its growth projects this year.

PNA PHOTO