WM SHOPPING CENTER Management, Inc., the developer of WalterMart malls, has partnered with First Gen Corp. for solar power projects in Luzon.

First Gen and its sister company Pi Energy, Inc. constructed solar photovoltaic systems for WalterMart malls in Quezon, Zambales, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Bulacan, and Rizal, the company said in a statement over the weekend.

Building these solar power plants, which have a total capacity of 11.4 megawatts-peak (MWp), is part of the mall chain’s multi-phased program to source a substantial portion of its electricity from clean energy.

“In a span of four years, our partnership has grown in terms of scale and investment, and that shows the level of commitment of WalterMart to integrate renewable energy into its operations,” said Mark Malabanan, Pi Energy’s assistant vice-president for solar and key partners’ growth.

WM Shopping Center Management has 41 community malls in the country with a total solar capacity of 12.3 MWp, which is expected to expand to 27 MWp from 25 solar-powered malls by the end of the year.

The company is targeting to source 20% of its power requirements from solar energy by the end of 2025.

WalterMart first tapped First Gen and Pi Energy in 2019 with the installation of a solar power facility atop a WalterMart mall carpark building in Nasugbu, Batangas.

First Gen has a total of 3,697 MW of installed capacity coming from its portfolio of plants that run on geothermal, wind, hydro, solar energy, and natural gas. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera