Philippines is gearing towards a more extensive use of renewable energy as plans of solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal projects have been laid out across the country.
One of the most recent and biggest is the solar farm, together with an industrial estate, at Redondo Peninsula located inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
The entire development project, which has been given a nod by the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), is 982 hectares wide.
SBMA Administrator Wilma Eisma spoke to the media and revealed the grand $798-million plan, which is proposed by Singaporean-based Dynamic Konstruct International ECO Builders Corp. (Dkiebc), a locator inside the Freeport.
“This project is our answer to the inquiry of investors looking for thousands of hectares of flat land for manufacturing and light to heavy industries inside the Subic Bay Freeport,” SBMA Chair Martin Diño said.
Only $300 million will be spent by the Dkiebc for the proposed 402-hectare solar farm. The remaining will be allocated to the 580-hectare industrial city project which includes commercial buildings, factories, warehouses, utilities for water and electricity, fire and law enforcement facilities, and sanitation and landfill facilities.
The solar farm is designed to generate 200 megawatts of green energy, which will be used to power the industrial city.
Not actual solar farm plan. Source: Solar Power Portal UK
About 50,000 new jobs will be generated once the entire project is fully realized, Eisma shared.
She added, “When the Subic naval base closed down in 1992, we were all so depressed to be losing the 35,000 jobs generated by the US Navy.
“But under the SBMA, we have long surpassed those numbers. As of February 2017, our active workforce within the free port was 115,272 [employees]—and we keep on working to bring about more employment.”
Subic Bay Freeport, the first military base to be successfully converted into a free port zone, is a tax- and duty-free zone. To take advantage of this, SBMA has asked neighboring local government units so the government agency could expand the development of industrial estates.
Sources: Manila Times | Inquirer
