Tarlac’s Concepcion poised to become solar hub

Within this decade, the town of Concepcion in Tarlac province may become the hub of the country’s source of solar-generated energy.

Concepcion Mayor Andy Lacson said that barring negative developments, the planned solar farms in Concepcion could jointly add some 140 megawatts to the national grid once they become operational in the near term. Solar Philippines and Infinity

Solar were among the four multinational groups cited by Lacson to have taken concrete steps to construct solar farms with a power generating capacity of from 45 to 50 megawatts.

The two entities have acquired lands as sites for their respective solar farms, Lacson said in a media forum hosted weekly by the Capampangan in Media Inc. (Cami) and Clark Development Corp. (CDC).

Lacson said Concepcion has attracted a good number of prospective investors in solar farms due to its unique topography being a flat land and its location, making it suitable in harnessing the sun’s energy.

Once operational, one of these solar farms could, in turn, generate an annual P20-million in additional revenues for Concepcion, the current income of which averages a little over P200 million a year, including its internal revenue allotment (IRA).

Moreover, Lacson said the upcoming solar farms could bolster Concepcion’s bid to attract more entrepreneurs engaged in such industries as food manufacturing, merchandising, tourism, banking and other service-oriented enterprises.

The town’s current main source of income and livelihood is farming and smallscale food processing, like its famous carabeef tocino, Lacson said.

He added this would change in the next three-tosix years given the growing attraction of Concepcion as investment area.

In the same forum, the youthful town executive discussed the following:

• The town’s financial resources ended the first-half of the year with a cash account of P140 milion, of which P110 million is accounted by the general fund;
• This available cash could easily finance the town’s second-half infra projects: a new motor pool; farm-to-market roads in Bgy. Santiago, Bgys. Café and Culatingan, Bgys. Panu and Parulung, Bgys. Panalicsican and Tal. Marimla; 20 units of public toilets with water pumps; installation of LED lampposts in the 45 barangays and traffic lights in six branragays; new slaughterhouse; grant of P300,000 project fund for the 45 barangay, purchase of lot for the municipal cemetery, and the construction of a CCTV central monitoring facility.

On August 21, the town will re-commemorate the Ninoy Aquino statue at the municipal hall, which the late President Cory Aquino built at the start of her term in honor of her martyred husband. The event is expected to be attended by family members of the late senator.

Concepcion is a first class urban municipality in Tarlac, with a population of 140,000 people. It is the hometown of the Aquino clan.