Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation (CREC), a Philippine-based renewable power developer, has inaugurated Citicore Solar Batangas 1, the country’s first solar baseload power facility. The 197-megawatt plant in Tuy, Batangas is combined with a 320 MWh BESS, enabling continuous electricity supply. The switch-on ceremony held on September 15 was led by President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., Energy Secretary Sharon Garin, and CREC officials. According to CREC President and Chief Executive Officer Oliver Tan, the project demonstrated solar power’s viability as baseload capacity, with the company targeting 1 gigawatt of renewable capacity by early 2026. The Batangas facility forms part of 11 projects across Pangasinan, Pampanga, Batangas, Quezon, and Negros Occidental that together are expected to supply electricity to about 800,000 households annually. Nine projects have secured 20-year supply contracts under the Department of Energy’s Green Energy Auction Program-2, with most receiving national significance and investment certifications.