Citicore Renewables: Where Solar Never Sleeps - The First Baseload Solar Plant in the Philippines

President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. led the energization of Citicore Solar (CS) Batangas 1 on 15 September 2025, the first solar baseload power plant in the Philippines. President Marcos was joined by Department of Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, CREC Chairman Edgar Saavedra, CREC President and CEO Oliver Tan, and other officials during the ceremonial switch-on. ​

CS Batangas 1, located in Barangays Lumbangan and Luntal in Tuy, Batangas, is a 197-megawatt (MWp) solar power plant coupled with a 320 megawatt-hour (MWh) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). This allows the solar facility to store and dispatch needed energy beyond the normal hours of solar (6AM-5PM), gaining the ability to provide a baseload level of power.

​“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,” said CREC President and CEO Oliver Tan. 
  
“This continuous innovation demonstrates not only our expertise in solar but also our commitment to hitting our 1 gigawatt target up to Q1 2026. Soon, our country will no longer have to rely on unclean energy and the uncertainties of fuel importation. Instead, we will be powered by homegrown, reliable, and pure renewable energy—bringing us closer to our vision of Powering a First-World Philippines with Pure Renewable Energy,” he added. 

Powering the Philippines with 1GW of clean energy by 2025 

Projects completing CREC’s 1GW are 11 facilities located in Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, and Negros Occidental. Three of the facilities in Batangas will also be host to BESS totaling 760MWh. The said projects are on track for energization by the end of 2025, reducing close to 2.8 billion tons of carbon emissions and generating enough electricity to power approximately 800,000 homes yearly once all sites are energized.  

We always value our strong partnership with 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,” mentioned CREC Chairman Edgar Saavedra. 

CREC's unique vertically integrated, end-to-end development process enabled the company to complete commitments on schedule, setting the pace for the nation's energy transition with pure renewable energy. 

Nine (9) of the eleven (11) projects have secured a 20-year offtake with the Philippine government through the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP)-2. All 11 projects are also Certified as Energy Projects of National Significance (CEPNS) by the DOE, while 10 projects have Green Lane Certifications from the Bureau of Investments (BOI). 

With its first gigawatt for completion by the end of the year, CREC targets to start the construction of the 2nd GW of renewable energy, including solar, IRES, and onshore wind.  

Partnerships and communities 

CREC sees the local government and its host communities as valuable partners from construction to plant operations. Through the Citicore Foundation, CREC is able to implement projects that promote education, capacity development, and environmental stewardship.  

Particularly, Citicore’s pioneering AgroSolar Initiative will be initiated in all CREC’s completed projects. The program, started in 2021, makes dual use of solar land for agricultural crop production and solar generation. Farmers from the local community are employed by Citicore for their knowledge and expertise on local soil conditions, while the company will shoulder planning and expenses related to seeds and equipment, and securing offtake for the crops.  

Part of the proceeds from the AgroSolar Initiative are given to the farmers, augmenting their income, while the rest are fully re-invested towards new seeds and the further development of the program. 

Other programs of the Citicore Foundation are its yearly Brigada and Balik Eskwela, Usbong Scholarships, Training 2 Employment program, Pailaw Solar Street Lighting, EcoShed solar upcycling, and Communitree Tree Planting activities.