A $200-million renewable energy facility that will produce electricity from both solar energy and wind power will soon be established here as the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) signed an agreement with Jobin-SQM, Inc., an all-Filipino corporation.
SBMA Chairman Roberto Garcia and Jobin-SQM, Inc. President Nancy Tan signed an agreement reserving an 800-hectare property on Mt. Sta. Rita where the firm eyes to produce 20-megawatts (MW) of solar energy and 50 megawatts of wind energy.
Garcia said the project was formally committed during President Aquino’s state visit to China in September 2011.
The proposal is in line with Republic Act No. 9513, otherwise known as the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to accelerate the exploration and development of renewable energy resources, increase utilization of such and promote their efficient and cost-effective commercial application, and effectively prevent or reduce harmful emissions protecting health and the environment.
The national government has declared the development and promotion of renewable energy as among its priority projects under the Investment Priorities Plan of 2012.