AboitizPower, San Fernando Electric in renewable energy deal

AboitizPower Corp., the Aboitiz family’s holding firm for investments in power utilities, has announced that it is already supplying clean energy to San Fernando Electric Light and Power Co. AboitizPower said it started supplying San Fernando Electric in Pampanga with power from its Tiwi and MakBan geothermal facilities in Bicol and Laguna, respectively, on Sept. 26. San Fernando Electric will have AboitizPower as its exclusive energy supplier until Dec. 25, 2012, AboitizPower said in a statement. “We buy power at a cheaper price and the customer pays less because there is no value-added tax imposed on renewables," Antonio de Leon, senior vice president of San Fernando Electric, said in the statement. “The world also wins because of smaller carbon footprint from geothermal energy," he added. “We believe that as a distribution utility, it is our primary duty to serve our customers well and at the same time to treat our environment well," said Michael Escaler, president of San Fernando Electric. “By going green, we achieve both goals simultaneously," he said. The maximum demand under the contract is expected to reach from 70 megawatts (MW) to 90 MW, AboitizPower said. —JE/VS, GMANews.TV