ADB switches to 100% renewable energy courtesy of Aboitiz Power

The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) headquarters in Manila is now meeting all of its energy needs from renewable sources, following a geothermal power supply agreement with AdventEnergy Inc., a licensed retail electricity supplier of Aboitiz Power.

The headquarters is now powered by 100% renewable energy generated by geothermal plants in Tiwi in Albay province and Makiling-Banahaw in Laguna province, both of which are on the main Philippine island of Luzon, in addition to existing on-site solar power generation.

“As an institution we are strongly committed to expanding the use of renewable energy across Asia and the Pacific, so it is only fitting that we walk the talk in our own headquarters,” said ADB Vice President Bruce Davis at a ceremony in ADB headquarters. “This agreement will allow us to cut our annual corporate carbon footprint by nearly 50%, with an emission reduction of more than 9,500 tons of CO2 equivalent.”

The supply contract with AdventEnergy will see ADB purchase an average of 1.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity a month. This will be supplemented by about 50,000 kWh generated monthly from ADB’s rooftop solar panels. These two sources will meet the entire energy requirements of the headquarters building, where more than 2,600 staff and consultants work each day.

It also means ADB will no longer purchase electricity directly from the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), although it will continue to use the company’s distribution network.

The move follows ADB’s decision to take advantage of electricity reforms in the Philippines which allow large users to choose their power supplier. The contract with AdventEnergy followed a competitive bidding process. It was selected as it was the only one to offer a large portion of its electricity generated from renewable sources.