Wilcon Depot’s sustainability initiatives
L-R: Meralco FVP and Chief Commercial Officer and Spectrum President and CEO Ferdinand Geluz and Wilcon Depot President and CEO Lorraine Belo-Cincochan
Spectrum, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manila Electric Company (Meralco), has partnered with Wilcon Depot Inc. to support the latter’s push for sustainability.
Spectrum was tapped by Wilcon to install a total of 1,306.46-kilowatt peak of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems for its branches located in Antipolo, Rizal; General Trias, Cavite; Tayabas, Quezon; Jaro, Iloilo; and Makato, Aklan.
The solar panels will have a combined annual generation capacity of 1.7 million kilowatt hours of clean energy, and are expected to reduce Wilcon’s carbon footprint by 1,222 tons annually. This is equivalent to 2.5 million trees planted.
The solar PV systems will also allow Wilcon to save as much as P5.15 million annually in energy costs.
The project forms part of Wilcon’s plan to power its entire store network with solar PV systems aligned with its goal to become a more sustainable company.
During the solar project launch held at the Wilcon store in Antipolo on Tuesday, Wilcon President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lorraine Belo-Cincochan said:
"Wilcon Depot has partnered with Spectrum in support of our sustainability journey as they speak quality, character, and excellent service in each project. We are thankful to have such an outstanding organization in enabling Wilcon to achieve our sustainability goals."
For his part, Spectrum President and Chief Executive Officer Ferdinand O. Geluz said: “We are also thankful for being given the opportunity to develop Wilcon’s solar facility requirements in five stores. We admire that Wilcon had the foresight on how to contribute in easing the impact of unstable prices of fuel, low supply from generation companies and harnessed the power of the sun through the use idle roof space. Not only does it reduce carbon footprint, but also lessens energy costs which drives operational efficiency. What we offer at Spectrum is a one-stop shop solar solution-supporting Meralco’s promise to customers of being their trusted end-to-end energy solutions provider.” Geluz is also First Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Meralco
Spectrum’s mother company, Meralco, paved the way to this partnership through its customer centric approach. Upon hearing Wilcon’s plan to take a big leap towards sustainability, Meralco introduced to them its wholly-owned renewable energy solutions arm, Spectrum. Wilcon aims to install solar panels in all of its operating stores nationwide. This project weaves the country’s largest distribution utility into Wilcon’s sustainability story. Prior to entering a partnership with Spectrum, Meralco provided its expertise in addressing power quality concerns in Wilcon’s sites, to ensure business continuity crucial amid the pandemic.
Spectrum offers tailor-fit solutions for industrial, commercial, and residential customers through an in-depth understanding of energy consumption behaviors and strategic partnerships with world-class technology partners.
Meanwhile, Wilcon is a listed home improvement and construction supplies company with 74 stores nationwide, of which 39 branches are already powered by solar PVs.