EDC-Geo powers Silliman University 24/7 to stay green, lower electricity costs

MINERVA BC NEWMAN

DUMAGUETE CITY – The Energy Development Corporation (EDC), a geothermal leading company in the country powers Silliman University 24/7 to stay green and lower electricity costs as it renewed its power supply contract with EDC for another two years.

Dr. Betty Cernol McCann, Silliman University president said the move to renew Silliman’s power supply contract with EDC manifest the institution’s commitment in institutionalizing its Environmental Principles, Policies, and Guidelines that serves as the blueprint for the university’s major component activities in which the renewable energy utilization is one.

McCann said, the university has chosen to stay with First Gen-owned EDC for its full load requirement not only because the power that it provides is clean, renewable, and reliable but also cheaper, based on its experience when it first shifted to the RE provider’s geothermal power or Geo 24/7 two years ago. Part of SU’s power supply also comes from its own solar power panels.

According to McCann that Silliman University as an institution shows the way as a model of a sustainable campus, demonstrating the principles of Zero Waste, the waste management hierarchy, energy conservation, renewable energy utilization, biodiversity conservation, and a reduced carbon footprint,

Silliman is the only university in Negros Island and one of the few in the country to be 100 percent powered by renewable energy (RE) and it is known for its strong environmental conservation programs.

“We did the math and we saw some savings but more importantly, it is the quality of life that we give to our students on campus. They see that we walk the talk, they see that our campus is green, and the savings from our energy is also passed on to our students so economically, it has benefited the university as far as energy use is concerned,” SU vice president for development, Jane Annette Belarmino noted.

Getting power from Geo 24/7 has likewise enabled Silliman to avoid 2,602 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) for its first two-year contract. This is consistent with the university’s aim of being a model sustainable campus not only in Negros Island but in the whole country.   

The university also enjoys these benefits from indigenous power generated locally from EDC’s Nasulo geothermal facility in Valencia, Negros Oriental.  Over the years, these shared values and strong environmental advocacy of SU and EDC have resulted in a strong partnership that goes beyond power supply.

The University is a proud partner of EDC-initiated 10 million trees in 10 years for a Greener Negros Movement (10Min10) that aims to plant, grow, and nurture at least 10 million trees to bring back the forests in Negros Island.

In 2020, SU and EDC inked a memorandum of agreement to establish the Silliman-EDC BINHI Arboretum inside the Center for Tropical Conservation Studies (CENTROP), the university’s field laboratory grounds in Palinpinon, Valencia, Negros Oriental to provide a safe haven for the long-term survival of our Philippine native trees.

In 2021, SU’s Biology Department also completed its biodiversity conservation and monitoring project in EDC’s Palinpinon geothermal reservation.  Silliman further strengthened its commitment to environmental preservation last year by signing a pledge as a pioneer member of EDC’s recently launched Net Zero Carbon Alliance.

The alliance aims to forge collaborative pathways with Philippine companies that have committed to becoming carbon neutral and helping decarbonize our country.  Shifting to RE through licensed GEOP providers like First Gen and EDC’s Geo 24/7 is crucial for business continuity and for the world’s battle against climate change. 

According to Silliman, the government’s Green Energy Option Program (GEOP) afforded businesses and institutions that have average monthly electricity consumption of at least 100 kilowatts can now choose to get power from renewable sources. (Photos: EDC/SU)