The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) will be offering 2,000 hectares in Laguna De Bay (LDB)  for floating solar projects. 

“An initial pre-determined area of not more than two thousand (2,000) hectares in the LDB is hereby allocated for REU (renewable energy utilization) projects,” the LLDA said in its memorandum dated February 2.

The location of the solar projects would be 200 meters away from the lake’s shoreline, with a 10.5-meter elevation requirement. Based on the map attached to the memo (photo above), the pre-determined areas (PDA) are concentrated on the lake’s southern side, spanning from Santa Rosa City to Paete, all in Laguna.

LLDA will also be bidding out the allocation and grant of renewable energy areas at a minimum price of Php6 per square meter. Each developer application will be allocated with a maximum of 100 hectares per block. 

Contracts would last for 25 years, covering the development, commissioning, and operation of the project. These would also be subject to LLDA’s evaluation every five years. 

Winning bidders would need to secure permits and clearances from the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau. A Privilege to Operate Renewable Energy would also have to be secured from the LLDA. 

The DOE earlier said that it is working with the LLDA to come up with a policy for large-scale floating projects in Laguna de Bay. 

Last year, Ayala-led ACEN expressed its openness to develop floating solar projects in the Laguna De Bay. ACEN President and CEO Eric Francia had said that the country’s largest lake is a “great location” for such ventures, adding that 25% of it can be allotted for floating solar projects. 

ACEN is eyeing two floating solar projects in the lake, particularly in Pililla and Jala-jala in Rizal – areas not included in the PDA. These have been endorsed to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) for a system impact study (SIS). 

MERALCO PowerGen Corporation (MGen) is also looking to develop six floating solar plants in the Laguna Lake. Two of these projects, also not within the PDA, have also been endorsed to NGCP for SIS.