By Juzel L. Danganan
MANILA, Sept. 16 (PNA) – Local IT solutions firm WIT (We are IT) Philippines, Inc., and Japanese solar developer Eguchi Holdings Co. Ltd. have signed a joint venture for the establishment of solar and wind projects in the country.
The joint venture will be named Fujisan Solar and Wind Energy Corp.
Eguchi Holdings Co. Ltd. president Katsuyoshi Eguchi said the venture will start with chicken farms with a 300 kilowatt (kW) capacity.
”We will start with chicken farms, that’s 300 kW,” he told reporters in an interview.
He noted the company will go for high quality solar projects.
For his part, WIT chief operating officer (COO) Joseph Maddatu, said the long-term target of the company was to build at least five megawatts (MWs) in the next two to three years.
Maddatu said that each megawatt plant in a hectare of land entailed an investment cost of USD1 million.
He also said the company hoped to put up solar projects with a capacity of about 1-2 MWs before March next year, allowing them to avail of the Php 8.69 per kWh Feed-in-Tariff (FIT).
Maddatu said among the areas considered for the projects included Cagayan Valley; Tanay, Rizal; Pililia, Rizal; and few areas in Mindanao, adding Fujisan was eyeing several projects, which were dependent on how fast the government would award the service contracts.
However, Eguchi said that Fujisan had not lined up wind projects in the country yet, but stressed the company might start some small-sized wind projects in Luzon.
WIT is a satellite broadband service provider in the Philippines, having provided satellite communications infrastructures for critical missions of civil and military entities of the government.
Meanwhile, Eguchi Holdings Co. is a solar and wind developer in Japan, which has more than 15 MWs installed capacity. (PNA)