The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is constructing a binary plant in Mahanagdong, Ormoc City, Leyte, supplementing its four existing geothermal power plants in the region. This new plant, with an installed capacity of 28 megawatts (MW), is set to enhance EDC’s power supply upon its inauguration in 2025.
Erwin Magallanes, EDC Leyte’s Corporate Relations head, stated, “This billion-peso binary plant utilizes geothermal brine, a technology that employs boiling working fluids before reinjecting them back into the ground.”
With the operation of the binary plant, EDC aims to supply the country’s growing electricity needs with less carbon emission and a stable electricity rate.
“This technology has been around for some time, and the Lopez-owned company chose to invest in it because, compared to coal, it has lower greenhouse gas emissions as a renewable energy source,” Magallanes said.
Despite the project’s high financial investment, the Lopez family, committed to environmental advocacy, insists on proceeding as part of their contribution to achieving Net Zero Carbon.
The EDC established the Net Zero Carbon Alliance (NZCA) in 2021. This multi-sectoral movement unites businesses in the Philippines to work toward a decarbonized and regenerative future, aiming for zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Frances R. Loyola, NZCA Lead Convenor and head of EDC Corporate Communications, reported that as of September 2024, 32 private members from diverse sectors—including manufacturing, real estate, hospitality, IT, mobility, finance, and academia—have pledged to support the Net Zero Carbon initiative, along with five partner-enabler organizations.
During the NZCA’s inaugural conference at The Fifth, Rockwell, Makati City, Federico R. Lopez, chairman of the Lopez Group, emphasized, “Nowhere to go but Net Zero,” highlighting the urgency of combating climate change.
The Net Zero Carbon program provides partners with a comprehensive roadmap for achieving net zero. Through best practices exchange, advanced strategies for carbon emission reduction and tracking, and streamlined access to green financing, the program offers robust capacity-building tools designed to foster sustainable growth and resilience.
Secretary Robert E. A. Borje of the Climate Change Commission expressed strong support for the alliance.
EDC, the renewable energy arm of the Lopez Group’s First Gen Corporation, operates four geothermal power plants in Leyte with a total installed capacity of 723 MW: Mahanagdong A and B (180 MW), Malitbog (232.5 MW), Tongonan (123 MW), and Upper Mahiao (125 MW). (By Elvie Roman-Roa)