German renewable energy developer ib vogt has started commercial operations at its 99MW Tantangan Solar project in the South Cotabato municipality of the Philippines.
The company started construction work at the project last August, which is ib vogt’s fourth to reach commercial operation in the country. The other three projects—the Benny, Frodo and Surallah projects—have a combined capacity of 22.5MW, so the start of commercial operations at the Tantangan project marks a significant milestone for the company.
Try Premium for just $1
- Full premium access for the first month at only $1
- Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
- Cancel anytime during the trial period
Premium Benefits
- Expert industry analysis and interviews
- Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
- Exclusive event discounts
Or get the full Premium subscription right away
Or continue reading this article for free
The Tantangan project also combines solar PV and a battery energy storage system (BESS), but ib vogt did not provide further details on the latter component; PV Tech has reached out to the company for further information. This marks the company’s first solar-plus-storage project to reach commercial operation in Southeast Asia, according to ib vogt APAC CEO David Ludwig.
“Energising this project is a special milestone for ib vogt: it is our first solar-and-storage hybrid in Southeast Asia and the first of more than 500MW of hybrid capacity we expect to have in operation and construction across the Philippines by the end of 2026,” said Ludwig, who added that the company will “continue to focus on accelerating the rollout of our pipeline across the Philippines and Southeast Asia.”
The project received financing from a number of global investors, including international bank HSBC and British International Investment (BII), the development finance institution of the UK government.
A report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimated that Singapore would need cumulative investments of over US$300 billion between 2024 and 2040 to deliver on its energy transition goals, and support from overseas banks and government vehicles could be crucial in delivering these funds.
The news follows a number of solar-plus-storage project developments in the Philippines, including ib vogt’s securing of finance for the 99MW Luca solar project, which will be co-located with a 4MW BESS. This year has also seen a number of developments in the Philippines solar sector outside of the utility-scale market, including thinktank Ember expecting a surge in new rooftop solar additions and VinEnergo and SunAsia announcing plans to develop a 422MW floating solar portfolio.
