50 MW Solar Power Farm in South Cotabato Now Under Negotiations, Says LGU Official

Discussions are in progress for the construction of a 50-megawatt solar power plant in nearby Tantangan town, a municipal official confirmed. If the project pushes through, it will be the second solar facility in South Cotabato.

Tantangan Vice Mayor Timee Joy Torres-Gonzales disclosed in a press conference that officials of nv vogt Philippines Solar Energy One, Inc., are in talks with Mayor Benjamin Figueroa Jr. and land owners for the possibility of acquiring 100 to 130 hectares where the solar power energy developer could construct its new power plant.

Vice Mayor Gonzales said, the solar energy developer is interested in a land parcel in Barangay Poblacion for the project but has yet to work out some concerns with the land owners. “During their initial visit, officials of nv vogt immediately declared that the area’s terrain is most suited for their project,” she said.

South Cotabato Governor Daisy Avance-Fuentes first announced the plan in her State of the Province Address (SOPA) last December 12. “nv vogt is planning to establish a 50-megawatt solar power farm in Tantangan.

This could translate to billions of pesos worth of investment being poured into the province,” Gov. Fuentes said, considering that the new project is about 10 times larger than its first project here. On January 23, 2016, nv vogt inaugurated its first solar power plant in the province. The 8-hectare solar farm located in Barangay Centrala, Surallah has a capacity of 6.23 megawatt.

It was reported that the project cost P1.3 billion. South Cotabato provincial government exempted the solar power developer from paying real property tax (RPT) for 10 years. (DEDoguiles-PIA12)