ACEN powers Schneider Cavite plants with RE

AMERICAN POWER CONVERSION CORP. (APC), a flagship brand of French company Schneider Electric SE, has tapped the retail electricity supply unit of Ayala-led ACEN Corp. to power its manufacturing facilities in Cavite using renewable energy (RE).

In a statement on Tuesday, ACEN said APC and Schneider Electric entered into an RE supply agreement with ACEN RES under the government’s Green Energy Option Program, which allows electricity end-users with an average monthly demand of at least 100 kilowatts to choose renewable energy as their power source.

The agreement covers five facilities in Cavite, which are mainly engaged in semiconductor manufacturing. These sites began operating on renewable energy in December and include both office and production locations.

“This collaboration sets in motion our transition to 100% renewable energy at the Cavite Smart Factory — a bold stride in our journey toward net zero,” Antonio Cheng, Jr., plant director for the Cavite Cluster at Schneider Electric Philippines, Inc., said in the statement.

He added that the Cavite facility is set to become the first plant inside a government economic zone in Luzon, and the first Schneider Electric factory in East Asia, to run entirely on renewable energy.

ACEN President and Chief Executive Officer Eric T. Francia said the partnership shows how big industrial players could advance the country’s energy transition. ACEN RES accounts for 57% of the Green Energy Option Program market and obtains power from the company’s solar, wind and geothermal assets.

ACEN has about 7 gigawatts of attributable renewable energy capacity and has completed its shift away from conventional power generation.

The company earlier said it had transitioned its entire generation portfolio to renewable energy after divesting its conventional power assets. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera