Long before sustainability became a buzzword and the call against climate change and global warming was made around the world, Negros Island has been able to keep itself green by sustainably managing its natural resources, including its abundant source of geothermal energy.

Energy Development Corporation (EDC) has been harnessing this clean and reliable source of 24/7 energy for over 40 years now, referring to its own brand of geothermal as “Geo 24/7.”

Its 112.5-megawatt (MW) Palinpinon-1 geothermal facility in Valencia, Negros Oriental in particular has been serving the energy needs of power consumers in Luzon and the Visayas since 1983. Located within EDC’s Southern Negros Geothermal Project, it is one of the pioneering geothermal energy projects in the Philippines that has brought recognition to the country as the largest vertically integrated geothermal firm in the world.

On its landmark 40th anniversary, Palinpinon-1 continues to bring distinction to the Philippines as one of the few existing geothermal fields in the world that have surpassed the usual 25-year lifespan of geothermal systems and remains in operation, along with the 123- MW Tongonan-1 geothermal power plant that also celebrated its 40th year in 2023.

EDC’s beginnings can be traced under the Philippine National Oil Corporation-Energy Development Corporation (PNOC-EDC), which was created to explore indigenous energy sources in response to the global oil crisis in the 1970s. After several years of intensive exploration and development work, Unit 1 of the Palinpinon1 geothermal power plant came online on June 7, followed by its Unit 2 on July 28 and Unit 3 on Sept. 1 of 1983.

The use of indigenous energy sources in the country increased from a mere 5% in 1970 to over 50% by 2005, with Palinpinon-1 undeniably playing an important role in boosting renewable energy in the Philippines’ energy mix through its annual power generation of over 1,000 gigawatts.

This commitment to a secure energy future was further undertaken by the Lopez Group in 2007 when it acquired PNOC-EDC’s geothermal operations and gave birth to what is known today as EDC.

During times of national crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 and super typhoon Odette in 2021, Palinpinon-1 and the rest of EDC’s geothermal facilities in Negros Oriental served as a reliable home base for the company’s community support and disaster relief operations.

The Geo 24/7 facility is part of EDC’s response to the landmark Renewable Energy Code that the local government of Negros Oriental released in 2021. Ordinance No. 30 (Series of 2021) applies to “all power generation, transmission and distribution projects” in the province. Section 16 of the code states that no fossil-fueled power plants will be constructed in Negros Oriental.

All these efforts have indelibly left a positive mark on the lives of EDC’s stakeholders in the province and form part of the legacy of the Palinpinon-1 geothermal power plant as an inextricable part of decarbonizing and regenerating Negros.

(Story/Photos by:Frances Ariola)