FB posts on Ilocos Norte solar farm wrong
The largest solar farm in Southeast Asia is not in Ilocos Norte, as various Facebook posts pushing the senatorial candidacy of governor Imee Marcos insist.
But the posts--one of the earliest appeared on March 25; others were widely shared days later-- correctly stated the biggest wind farm in the region is in Ilocos Norte.
Quoting verbatim five reasons people should vote Marcos, the posts read:
4. ILOCOS NORTE holds the biggest solar farm and largest wind farm in SOUTHEAST ASIA.
The largest solar farm in Southeast Asia to date is the 132.5-megawatt Helios plant in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental commissioned in March 2016, according to various local and foreign news accounts.
Helios tops the Department of Energy’s 2018 list of solar plants in the country. The Currimao solar plant in Ilocos Norte commissioned in February 2016 has an installed capacity of 20 megawatts, or just a sixth of Helios’.
Solar farms in Ilocos Norte, including the newer 4.2-megawatt Burgos solar farm, are not even among the top 10 solar plants in Southeast Asia.
A list compiled by the Rotterdam-based Solarplaza for a two-day global conference on solar power held in Singapore last year includes the 80-megawatt Negros Island Solar Power Plant, 63-megawatt Calatagan Solar Plant and the 60-megawatt Toledo Solar Project besides Helios among the top 10.
But Ilocos Norte holds the distinction of hosting the largest wind farm in Southeast Asia following the inauguration in 2014 of the 150-megawatt Burgos wind farm spread over a 600-hectare site.
The DOE list for Luzon power plants shows the province’s four wind farms, including Bangui, Southeast Asia’s first, having a total installed capacity of 282.9 megawatts.
First Balfour said the 4.2-megawatt Burgos solar farm it built alongside the biggest wind farm “put Ilocos Norte at the forefront of renewable energy initiatives being the first location in the world to host a combined solar and wind farm.”
References
Benaning, M. (2014, 8 November). Largest wind farm in Southeast Asia starts operating. BusinessMirror. Retrieved from https://businessmirror.com.ph/2014/11/08/largest-wind-farm-in-southeast-asia-starts-operating/
Burgos wind farm, Ilocos Norte, Philippines (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.wsp.com/en-CN/projects/philippines-burgos-wind-farm
Business World. (2016, April 11). RCBC funds Southeast Asia’s largest solar farm. Retrieved from http://www.bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Corporate&title=rcbc-funds-southeast-asias-largest-solar-farm&id=125740
Cath Salcedo (2019, March 31). Sa darating na halalan...Pasintabi sa mga Marcos: https://www.facebook.com/cathy.salcedo.144 [Facebook update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/cathy.salcedo.144/posts/1283373761812731
Department of Energy. (2018a, December 31). List of Existing Power Plants: Luzon Grid [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.doe.gov.ph../images/pdf/electric_power/existing_power_plants_luzon_december_2018.pdf
Department of Energy. (2018b, December 31). List of Existing Power Plants: Visayas Grid [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.doe.gov.ph../images/pdf/electric_power/existing_power_plants_visayas_december_2018.pdf
Dorothal, M. (2018, May 24). Top 25 Solar Plants Southeast Asia. Retrieved from https://www.solarplaza.com/channels/top-10s/11881/top-25-solar-plants-southeast-asia/
Emil Merto. (2019, March 31). Why would I vote Gov. Imee Marcos for Senator?: https://www.facebook.com/emil.merto.9 [Facebook update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/emil.merto.9/posts/10157283308065742
Espina, M.P. (2016, March 3). Southeast Asia's biggest solar farm opens in Negros Occidental. Rappler. Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/124552-biggest-solar-farm-southeast-asia-cadiz-negros-occidental
First Balfour. (n.d.). 4.2 MW Burgos Solar Farm. Retrieved from https://firstbalfour.com/project/4-2-mw-burgos-solar-farm/
Gomez, C.P. (2016, March 3). Biggest solar project in SE Asia inaugurated in Negros Occidental. Inquirer.net. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/770627/biggest-solar-project-in-se-asia-inaugurated-in-negros-occidental#ixzz5juu1yWlV
Lean Lea Fe March (2019, March 25). Ilocos Norte under Imee Marcos governorship: https://www.facebook.com/mark.mondong [Facebook update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/mark.mondong/posts/2406568566029256
Saur News Bureau. (2016, March 3). Saur News International. Retrieved from https://www.saurenergy.com/solar-energy-news/largest-solar-farm-southeast-asia-inaugurated-negros-occidental
SEA largest Solar farm opens in Philippines. (2016, March 3). Power Insider Asia. Retrieved from https://www.pimagazine-asia.com/8846/
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