SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Pastolan Ayta community has approved the establishment of a renewable energy project to be located inside an 800-hectare area of the Ayta ancestral domain in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
Ayta tribal chieftain Conrado Frenilla and Ayta elder Bonifacio Florentino signed a memorandum of agreement on Friday with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Roberto Garcia and Jobin SQM Inc. President Nancy Tan for the implementation of the energy project on Mount Sta. Rita here.
Tan lso presented the Ayta leaders with a P1-million check representing the company’s donation to the tribe. The proceeding was witnessed by representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), which oversees the welfare of native communities.
According to Garcia, Jobin SQM Inc. intends to build a $200-million facility here that will produce power from clean energy sources. The facility will produce 150 megawatts of combined solar and wind energy.
Garcia said the project is in line with RA 9513, or 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.
The law was also designed to effectively prevent or reduce harmful emissions to protect public health and the environment.
The alternative energy project, Garcia added, was formally committed during President Aquino’s state visit to China in September 2011. The development and promotion of renewable energy has been set as among the priority projects of the national government under the Investment Priorities Plan of 2012.
To carry out the Subic project, Jobin successfully satisfied the requirements set by the Department of Energy and engaged the partnership of HydroChina International Engineering Co., Ltd. (HIECL) for a joint venture.
HydroChina, which is engaged in renewable energy development projects worldwide, operates projects in the fields of hydropower and water conservancy, solar and electric power, as well as ports, highways and buildings. Garcia said the Jobin project will be a pioneering venture for the establishment of renewable energy facilities in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
