Partnership Between PLDT Inc. and ACEN Corporation to Convert More Metro Manila Facilities to Renewable Energy

In order to transition 33 facilities in Greater Metro Manila to 100% renewable energy (RE), ACEN's supply retail unit, ACEN Renewable Energy Solutions (ACEN RES), has partnered with PLDT Inc. (PLDT), a leading integrated telecommunications network in the Philippines.​

As part of the agreement, PLDT will make use of the solar and geothermal power solutions offered by ACEN RES to increase operational effectiveness and lessen reliance on fossil fuel- and non-renewable-source electricity.

The PLDT-Smart Integrated Operations Center in Makati City, a round-the-clock command center that monitors network operations and controls the performance of PLDT's vast fiber infrastructure and the wireless facilities of its subsidiary Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) across the nation, is one of the facilities moving to RE. 

“This supply agreement with ACEN RES expands and diversifies renewables in the energy mix of our key facilities. Our continuous transition to RE supports the direction to make our PLDT facilities eco-efficient and future-ready,” said PLDT Vice President and Sector Head for Property and Facilities Leo Gonzales.

With an estimated reduction of about 21,000 tons of carbon emissions annually, the agreement with ACEN RES is expected to boost PLDT's ongoing groupwide decarbonization plan and result in savings in energy and operating expenses. 

“We are keen on supporting PLDT as it continues to transition to RE and use more renewable energy to power its operations that are vital to our country’s connectivity and digital infrastructure. ACEN is looking forward to this venture that will help foster an energy-secure future for our telecommunications industry,” said ACEN Senior Vice President for Market Transformation Tony Valdez.

The PLDT Group has a plan in place to cut its greenhouse gas emissions from Scope 1 and Scope 2 by 40% by 2030, starting from a 2019 baseline. In order to achieve this goal, the company has been venturing with the use of renewable energy sources, green technology, and different resource optimization projects for its network sites, corporate headquarters, and important facilities across the country.​

“Integral to achieving our strategic direction of ensuring long-term profitability by doing business responsibly are initiatives like this that allow us to achieve operational efficiencies and reduce our environmental footprint at the same time. This is a model that we aim to keep scaling up to accelerate our decarbonization roadmap and support the global ambition to achieve Net Zero by 2050,” said PLDT First Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Head of Investor Relations Melissa Vergel de Dios.

Additionally, PLDT recently obtained a P1-B green loan to help finance a portion of the continuing national upgrade and expansion of its fiber network. This enables the telecom company to reduce its environmental impact and step up efforts to close the digital divide even more.

In order to integrate climate action and nature stewardship into operational strategy and business operations, PLDT has aligned its decarbonization roadmap and environmental management performance with the frameworks of the Task Force for Climate-related Financial Disclosures and the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures.

PLDT vows to contribute to the accomplishment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, specifically SDG 13 on climate action and SDG 9 on industry, innovation, and infrastructure.​