Yuchengco firm secures grid approvals for Isabela solar project

YUCHENGCO-LED BKS Green Energy Corp. has secured approval from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) for the transmission connection of its Limbauan Solar Power Project (LSPP) in Isabela province. 

NGCP granted approval for the grid connection of the second phase of LSPP, which has a capacity of 33.831 megawatt-peak (MWp), the project developer said in a media release on Monday.

This follows the approval of the project’s system impact study in September last year. These studies assess the adequacy and capability of the grid to accommodate new connections. 

The two approvals confirm the technical feasibility of connecting LSPP-2 to NGCP’s Tuguegarao-Cabagan 69-kilovolt transmission system.

LSPP-1, with a capacity of 5 MWac, had previously secured approvals for its distribution impact study, distribution asset study, and connection agreement with Isabela II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ISELCO-II).

A power supply agreement for LSPP-1 was signed between BKS Green Energy and ISELCO-II and was jointly filed in June 2021, pending approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission.

BKS Green Energy is a unit of Rizal Green Energy Corp., a joint venture between PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC) and Japan’s Taisei Corp.

Maria Victoria M. Olivar, vice-president for business development at PGEC, said the buildout would allow BKS Green Energy to fast-track the development and completion of the solar project.

The Isabela solar power project has been certified by the Department of Energy as an energy project of national significance, qualifying it for expedited permit processing. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera