Media Release
July 01, 2021
Geothermal leader Energy Development Corporation’s (EDC) Southern Negros Geothermal Project has once again been bestowed the Gawad Tugas award, this time for the Clean Air and Water-Power plant category, from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for going beyond compliance through its exemplary performance in environmental protection, conservation, and management.
“We have to harness the so-called collaboration of one another for a better tomorrow. I would like to request our dear friends from the LGUs and various companies to be a positive influence for the environment in your areas of responsibility. You should not only be working for profit and for people but also for the environment,” said former DENR ASEC. Renato M. Rueda in his inspirational message at the awarding ceremony held at the Marco Plaza Hotel in Cebu City on June 30.
EDC was able to share with the screening committee how it strives to elevate not only the environment but even its stakeholders, including its employees, customers, communities, suppliers and contractors, and investors as they forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future, which is the company’s revitalized mission.
“We express our deepest gratitude to the DENR Region 7 for believing in what we do in EDC not only for Negros Oriental but for the rest of our region,” said Engr. Debonaire T. Mamhot, head of EDC’s Southern Negros Geothermal Facility. “This recognition inspires us to keep on finding ways to not only go beyond compliance but to also go beyond sustainability that seeks to do less harm to our planet and to society.”
The forest stands that EDC has under its care across the country absorbs over 1.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) each year, allowing it to be carbon negative, with its entire operation emitting only a little over 966,000 tCO2e. To date, EDC has already planted over 6.5 million native tree seedlings with the help of its 192 partners from 16 regions all over the country under its BINHI greening legacy program. More than 2.5 million of these were planted on over 3,000 hectares in Negros Island with the help of EDC’s over 30 local partners.
EDC likewise elevates its customers in Negros Island and all over the country by helping them lower their carbon footprint and even become carbon neutral not only through the clean, reliable, geothermal power or Geo 24/7 that it provides them but also through its BINHI partnership that enables them to also plant, grow, and nurture Philippine native trees for their own carbon offset.
Knowles Electronics Philippines Corporation, one of EDC’s Cebu-based customers, also won a Gawad Tugas for the Clean Air and Water-Manufacturing category for its own decarbonization and sustainability programs that include getting 100% of its power from renewables.
In total, EDC generates over 40% of the Philippines’ renewable energy output and serves about 10% of the country’s overall electricity demand with its installed capacity of almost 1,500MW. The company has been powering Negros Island for almost 40 years with geothermal energy from its 222.5MW facility in its Southern Negros.
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.
