29 July 2021
The Club has tapped clean energy leader First Gen Corporation for supply of electricity from a renewable energy source as part of its sustainability program and support for the government’s energy efficiency and conservation efforts.
First Gen Vice President Carlo Vega said that the Manila Polo Club signed with First Gen through Green Core Geothermal Inc. (GCGI) a contract for supply of 550 kilowatts of electricity from a geothermal source for two years starting late June 2021 to June 2023.
Vega added that GCGI is getting the electricity for the Club from GCGI’s 112-megawatt Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Leyte.
“We at Manila Polo Club have launched a policy to adopt environment-friendly practices as part of our own efforts to mitigate climate change. Our program also supports Republic Act No. 11285, otherwise known as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act of 2019,” said GM Noel Barrameda.
“We were pleasantly surprised to find out that using clean and renewable energy likewise allows us to save on our power bills, because First Gen offered us cheaper rates for electricity from its geothermal plant,” GM Noel noted.
“This partnership helps reassure Club members that their visits to our facilities for their relaxation and business meetings leave behind only a light carbon footprint and without extra cost in power bills,” GM Noel added.
VP Carlo Vega of First Gen also commented: “Our partnership with Manila Polo Club shows that using clean and renewable energy does not require our customers to spend more for their power bills. Renewable energy is clean and also price competitive.”
GCGI, an indirect subsidiary of First Gen, holds a license as a retail electricity supplier. Aside from its integrated geothermal plant in Leyte, GCGI also owns and operates another integrated, 192-MW geothermal power plant in Negros Island.
Like its parent firm First Philippine Holdings Corporation (FPH), First Gen recognizes the risks that humans face from climate change due to the continued buildup in the atmosphere of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, including those from power plants using carbon-intensive fossil fuel.
This awareness explains the focus of FPH and First Gen on developing and operating power plants that run on renewable energy sources.
On top of geothermal, First Gen’s portfolio of power plants also runs on other renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind and solar. First Gen also owns and operates power facilities that run on natural gas, considered the cleanest form of fossil fuel. As of 2020, the installed capacity of these power plants totalled 3,495 MW.