Jimenez firm taps First Gen for renewable energy supplyMenarco Development Corporation has tapped First Gen Corporation for supply of electricity from a renewable energy source to power its award-winning and intelligently designed 32-story tower in Taguig City bearing the company’s name.

First Gen vice president Carlo Vega said that under the two-year agreement, First Gen through Green Core Geothermal Inc. (GCGI) will supply Menarco Tower 800 kilowatts (kW) of electricity from a geothermal plant of GCGI.

“We are happy that our agreement with Menarco Development will complement Menarco Tower’s image as a very innovative, energy-efficient, healthy, safe and hi-tech office boutique tower,” Vega said after First Gen and Menarco Development finalized the agreement in July.

Menarco Development is controlled by the family of businessman Menardo Jimenez.

Menarco Tower is the first and only office tower in Southeast Asia to hurdle the stringent health and environment requirements to be WELL Certified Gold by the International Well Building Institute, and to gain a LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council.

“Menarco Tower is designed to offer humanity-centered spaces which ensure the building community’s health and well-being, as well as minimizing any adverse impact on the environment. Menarco is proud to partner with First Gen for our renewable energy needs,” said Menarco Development founder and CEO Carmen Jimenez-Ong.

“By consistently walking the talk, we take an active part in the country’s efforts to mitigate climate change and rolling blackouts. Together, we are part of the solution, not the problem,” she stressed.

“We pursued a supply agreement with Menarco Development after we noted the shared advocacy of both our groups to promote a healthy and clean environment. We express our gratitude, especially to Ms. Carmen Jimenez-Ong, for accepting our offer of partnership,” Vega said.

Meanwhile, Manila Polo Club, the country’s premier leisure sports club, signed with First Gen through GCGI a contract for supply of 550 kW for the next two years.

Vega said GCGI is getting the electricity for Manila Polo from GCGI’s 112-megawatt Tongonan Geothermal Power Plant in Leyte.

Manila Polo, owner of a 25-hectare sports and leisure club in Makati considered a green oasis within Metro Manila, expressed appreciation for its partnership with First Gen.

“We at Manila Polo Club have launched a policy to adopt environment-friendly practices as part of our own efforts to mitigate climate change. Our program also supports Republic Act No. [RA] 11285, otherwise known as the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act of 2019,” said Manila Polo general manager Noel Barrameda.

“We were pleasantly surprised to find out that using clean and renewable energy likewise allows us to save on our power bills, because First Gen offered us cheaper rates for electricity from its geothermal plant,” he noted.

Vega said: “Our partnership with Manila Polo Club shows that using clean and renewable energy does not require our customers to spend more for their power bills. Renewable energy is not only clean; it is competitively priced.

GCGI, an indirect subsidiary of First Gen, holds a license as a retail electricity supplier. Aside from its integrated geothermal plant in Leyte, GCGI owns and operates another integrated, 192-megawatt geothermal power plant in Negros. (Story/Photos by: Joel Gaborni)