Citicore Renewable Energy Corp. (CREC) has inaugurated its flagship CS Batangas 1 plant, the country’s first solar baseload facility.
Located in Barangays Lumbangan and Luntal in Tuy, Batangas, the P10-billion project has a capacity of 197 megawatts (MWp) and is equipped with a 320 megawatt-hour (MWh) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
The integration enables the plant to store and deliver power beyond daylight hours, providing baseload-level supply.
“Our Citicore Solar Batangas 1 is the first in the Philippines to prove that solar can be true baseload power. This is a huge step forward in the country’s renewable energy transition. With 1.5GWh of Battery Energy Storage Systems in place, we are prepared to replicate this breakthrough starting in Batangas,” CREC president and CEO Oliver Tan said on Monday.
Continuous innovation
“This continuous innovation demonstrates not only our expertise in solar but also our commitment to hitting our 1 gigawatt target up to Q1 2026,” he added.
CS Batangas 1 is among three new plants energized this year, alongside Citicore Solar Pampanga 1 in Arayat and Citicore Solar Negros Occidental 2 in Silay. Together, they add 300MW of capacity, raising CREC’s total operating portfolio to 587MW, inclusive of 287MW from earlier projects.
The company said its battery capacity will expand further once Citicore Solar Batangas 2 is energized by yearend. That project will add 180MWh and 260MWh of storage, complementing the 320MWh already in place at Batangas 1.
CREC’s one gigawatt pipeline
These developments form part of CREC’s one gigawatt pipeline, composed of 11 projects across Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon and Negros Occidental.
Three of the Batangas facilities will host BESS totaling 760MWh. Once operational, the projects are expected to reduce nearly 2.8 billion tons of carbon emissions and generate enough power for about 800,000 homes annually.
“We always value our strong partnership with the government, a collaboration we’ve consistently demonstrated from Megawide to Citicore. With our experience and expertise in engineering, construction, and innovation, we are poised to complete our projects on time, with quality, and at a lower cost,” CREC chairman Edgar Saavedra said.
Nine of the 11 projects have secured 20-year offtake agreements with the Philippine government under the Green Energy Auction Program 2.
Energy Projects of National Significance
All 11 are certified as Energy Projects of National Significance by the Department of Energy, while 10 hold Green Lane Certifications from the Board of Investments.
With its first gigawatt nearing completion, CREC said it is preparing to begin construction of a second gigawatt of renewable capacity, covering solar, integrated energy storage, and onshore wind.