First Gen Corp. has expanded its partnership with WalterMart for the installation of additional solar power plants in seven more mall locations in Luzon.
The parties said in a statement on Sunday the construction of 11.4 megawatts peak (MWp) worth of solar power plants forms part of the mall chain’s multi-phased program to source a substantial portion of its electricity from a clean energy.
The additional solar-powered WalterMart malls are located in Candelaria, Quezon; Subic, Zambales; San Fernando City in Pampanga; Gapan, Nueva Ecija; Nasugbu, Batangas; Malolos, Bulacan; and Antipolo City in the province of Rizal.
“One of the things we’re really proud of is joining the bandwagon of sustainability, creating a future for our next generation and not using unnecessary fossil fuel that ultimately damages the environment and the ground,” said Abraham Uy, WalterMart chairman, in the statement.
WalterMart first tapped First Gen and its sister company, Pi Energy in 2019 with the installation of a solar power facility atop a WalterMart mall carpark building in Nasugbu, Batangas.
WM Shopping Center Management Inc., the developer of WalterMart chain of malls, has 41 community malls around the Philippines with a total solar capacity of 12.3 MWp.
By the end of the year, 25 out of the 41 WalterMart malls will have solar power systems with 27 MWp capacity. These projects are part of the company’s program to source 20 percent of its power requirements from solar energy by the end of 2025.
“In a span of five years, our partnership has grown in terms of scale and investment and that shows the level of commitment of WalterMart to integrate renewable energy into its operations. We have on-going installations in additional WalterMart malls that we hope to energize by the end of the year,” said Mark Malabanan, Pi Energy assistant vice president for solar and key partners’ growth.
