Two more firms join Green Energy Option Program

Photo Credit: PhotoAngel/Freepik.com

 

QUICK READ: Green Core Geothermal, Inc., which is owned by Energy Development Corporation, is one of the firms that recently qualified for the GEOP.

 

By Angelica Y. Yang | BusinessWorld

 

THE Department of Energy (DoE) has authorized two more suppliers of renewable energy (RE) to participate in the government’s Green Energy Option Program (GEOP), bringing up the number of eligible firms to 12.

 

In an announcement on Thursday, the DoE said that Shell Energy Philippines, Inc. (SEPH) and Green Core Geothermal, Inc. (GCGI) can now participate in the GEOP. SEPH is a retail electricity supplier of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., while GCGI is owned by Energy Development Corporation. The two firms join 10 renewable energy suppliers that were previously announced as qualified to join the program and were awarded GEOP operating permits by the DoE.

 

Launched in 2018, the GEOP is a voluntary policy mechanism that allows users consuming at least 100 kilowatts of power to source their supply from qualified retail energy suppliers that source electricity from renewables.

 

Sources at EDC said on Thursday, GCGI will be allocating over 200 megawatts (MW) in capacity for the program. They added that the Luzon-based Bacman Geothermal, Inc., which earlier received clearance to participate in the GEOP, will allot 130 MW.

 

BusinessWorld reached out to Pilipinas Shell on the planned attributable capacity of SEPH for the GEOP, but the firm has yet to comment as of deadline time.

In April last year, the DoE issued guidelines for suppliers that wanted to participate in the program.

 

The department circular, “guidelines governing the issuance of operating permits to renewable energy suppliers under the Green Energy Option Program” states that RE suppliers covered by the program must:

 

– Comply with the terms and conditions of the GEOP operating permit

– Submit annual reports to the DoE’s Renewable Energy Management Board on or before January 30

– Ensure that the total power from its facilities is greater or equal to the total kilowatt hour sold to its consumers

– Register in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and with the Central Registration Body before supplying power to end-users

– Register with the RE Registrar.

 

The GEOP gives more end-users the chance to access clean power from qualified RE firms.

 

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.