QUICK READ: EDC has renewed old partnerships and forged new ones to help in its mission to go beyond sustainability and create a decarbonized and regenerative future.
This year, the Energy Development Corporation turns 45, and with the company’s sapphire anniversary comes a chance to pause and reflect on the path that made EDC what it is today and look forward to the road that lies ahead.
During the company’s 45th anniversary celebration, President and COO Richard B. Tantoco reminisced about the company’s history and how far it has come since its beginnings.
“When I think of EDC and its 45 years of history, I think about how we transitioned from being a government-owned geothermal pioneer that already advocated for social forestry and community relations but was not so concerned about the tree species that we planted, into a fully privatized, diversified renewable energy leader in the region, a strong and credible competitor in the global energy arena, a savior of threatened Philippine native tree species, and a company that is not afraid to do good even without the spotlight,” Mr. Tantoco said.
He believes that EDC became what it is now because of five distinct characteristics that the company has managed to embody through the years: engaged, digital, collaborative, safe, and agile.
Engaged
With a 2021 Sustainable Engagement Score of 95%, EDC has the highest employee engagement in the Philippines and leaves “global high-performing companies” behind.
Digital
EDC has also been pushing for digital solutions for quite some time, and this can be seen in the company’s homegrown digital solutions that ensure the day-to-day operations of the company are running smoothly.
Collaborative
EDC has always thrived with the help of collaborations between its own employees and with other organizations, and this year, the company has renewed old partnerships and forged new ones to help in its mission to go beyond sustainability and create a decarbonized and regenerative future.
Safe
Safety has always been part of EDC’s culture, both in and outside of the organization.
Agile
In the past year, the company also proved how agile it can be by forming 160 agile squads that ensure things are done in less time and at less cost.
“We have consistently outperformed ourselves despite the many challenges we’ve faced, especially in the last few years, this last year in particular,” Mr.Tantoco added. “Our transformation journey continues, and not even the pandemic has stopped us.”
Mr. Tantoco also looked forward to the future of EDC.
“We are not yet in that complete regenerative state, but looking back at what we have been doing, it is heartening to know the way we are able to help our country avoid carbon emissions through our pure RE business, the way we take care of our communities through our community engagement practices, and how we strive to restore the environment through BINHI—these have put us on the right path more often than not and have helped EDC thrive and not just survive for 45 years,” he said.
“45 years is a lot of time,” Mr. Tantoco said toward the end of his speech. “A lot of time that has been trustingly given us to be stewards of the resources we have and leaders of the business we’re in. Time is free, but it is our most valuable resource. So let’s celebrate today and each and every day as a gift by living regeneratively and by innovating so we can do more for everything that we touch—from employees, to communities, to the environment, to our customers, and to our partners. Together with them, we bring forth a much stronger and better EDC, and a much brighter, cleaner, and safer world for the future generations.”
The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is a pioneer in generating 100% clean, renewable, and reliable power as an electricity supplier in the Philippines for over 40 years. With power plants all over Visayas and Mindanao, the company is one of the biggest producers of geothermal energy in Asia and is expanding its reach in the international market, allowing it to offer customers affordable energy rates. EDC also strives to provide the best customer service it can to all its clients by having helpful salespeople and easy to understand contracts. Because of all of this, it is poised to become the premier supplier of electricity for the Philippines’ Green Energy Option Program. EDC takes its mission as a renewable energy provider seriously and goes beyond sustainability by investing in programs that enhance the environment and empower its partner communities, thereby fostering regenerative development. The company has also been working toward being carbon-neutral by improving its energy efficiency, as well as implementing various greening projects to ensure that its mission to provide future generations with a better life remains intact.
