By Eva Visperas
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan provincial board passed two key resolutions during their regular session on Monday here, interposing no objection and endorsing two proposed solar farm projects in the town of Infanta.
Vice Governor Mark Ronald Lambino, who presided over the session, explained that the projects involve separate corporations, each proposing a solar farm with a capacity of at least 100 megawatts. “These are going to be two separate corporations, two separate solar farms, each producing at least 100 megawatts of power,” he said in an interview.
Lambino also noted that the proposed solar farms will be located in the first district of Pangasinan, while previous Resolutions of No Objection (RONO) were issued for projects in the second, third, and sixth districts of the province.
When asked why solar farm investors are increasingly eyeing Pangasinan, Lambino offered a historical perspective. “The name Pangasinan comes from the word asin, meaning salt, but you cannot generate salt without the most important resource—sunlight, heat, and sunlight,” he explained. “Now, our private companies are tapping into our best asset, which is the abundant sunlight we get here in Pangasinan,” he added.
The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved two resolutions:
- Provincial Resolution No. 2999-2024, which endorses the proposed solar farm project of Tera Renewables 3 Corporation (TR3C) in the barangays of Batang, Bayambang, and Bamban, Infanta, Pangasinan.
- Provincial Resolution No. 3000-2024, which endorses the proposed solar farm project of Tera Renewables 4 Corporation (TR4C) in Barangay Bayambang, Infanta, Pangasinan.
Both TR3C and TR4C are subsidiaries of Clean Tech Global Renewables Inc. (CTGRI), an independent power producer and renewable energy developer in the Philippines.
Both projects have already secured municipal ordinances reclassifying agricultural land—807,147 square meters for TR3C and 826,786 square meters for TR4C—to land designated for utilities, transportation, and services. Also, the Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Agriculture have granted the necessary clearances for the land reclassification.
The approved resolutions emphasized that the establishment of alternative power sources like solar energy is a positive development for Pangasinan, especially in light of the current high energy costs across the country.
“Subject to compliance with all relevant laws, rules, regulations, and ordinances, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan has no objection to the proposed projects and endorses them accordingly,” the resolutions stated.