Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. has started building a 240 megawatt, or MW, solar power plant in Binalonan, Pangasinan — its first in the province and the second groundbreaking this year alone.

CREC disclosed on Wednesday that the project is projected to generate an annual capacity of approximately 326 gigawatt-hours, or GWh that can power 136,000 households. 

Aside from helping secure sufficient power, the project will also help cut carbon emissions by about 228,000 tons yearly.

The first phase of this project, with a gross installed capacity of 168.0MW, is scheduled to begin industrial operations at the end of the year.

On the other hand, the second phase of this project, with a gross installed capacity of 72.0MW, is anticipated to commence commercial operations in December 2025.

“This is only the start of renewable energy developments in the province. This development demonstrates our strong support of the provincial and municipal governments’ vision for the future.” 

Through partnerships of this nature, we aim to catalyze growth and prosperity across the entire province,” CREC president and CEO Oliver Tan said.

For CREC chairperson Edgar Saavedra, the project will help achieve its commitment to deliver 5 Gigawatts of clean energy in five years.

Aside from the recent groundbreaking, CREC also unveiled its plans for two additional projects in Pangasinan — including another 270-megawatt solar power plant, which will be constructed simultaneously with the Binalonan project, and a 150-megawatt onshore wind power project.