The ‘Cleanergy’ power supply brand of the Aboitiz Power Corporation (AP) seems well-positioned as the answer to many industrial firms’ pathway toward lower carbon footprints.

Cleanergy’s latest customer addition was SteelAsia, considerably a power-intensive firm engaged in steel bar manufacturing.

The steel power firm has taken advantage of the ‘green energy’ offer of the Aboitiz group – with it signing a contract for the latter to supply its electricity requirements for the next three years starting December 26 this year. The deal was signed by AP Renewables Inc. president and CEO Austin Herrick and SteelAsia president & CEO Benjamin Yao.

The power supply pact, which will be in effect until December 25, 2012, prescribes that SteelAsia will be securing supply from AP’s Cleanergy portfolio at 51 megawatts during peak demand; and 37 to 40 MW on average requirement.

Aboitiz Power senior vice president for generation Luis Miguel Aboitiz remarked that at this point when the whole world heaps on going green in energy production and consumption, “it is refreshing to find an environmentally sensitive company in such a power intensive industry.”

The power supply to be allotted for SteelAsia’s requirement will be sourced from AP’s Tiwi and Makiling-Banahaw geothermal plants. The facilities currently have combined capacity of 462 megawatts, but this is expected ramped up upon completion of the plants’ upgrade and rehabilitation.

Herrick, for his part, noted that “the signing of the contract between AboitizPower and Steel Asia represents an excellent example of two private companies working together to achieve mutually acceptable business goals in a fashion that also serves the environmental needs of the nation.”

The power company emphasized that apart from reliable supply, the Cleanergy brand offer to the steel firm will also afford it to enjoy competitive electricity rates.

Yao said “SteelAsia has a shared vision with AboitizPower,” further stressing that his company has the same “responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and by using geothermal energy, SteelAsia enables its operations in a green way, and in the process further improves its cost competitiveness.”

The increasing sale portfolio under AP’s green energy brand is also an emerging testament that the privatized assets can thrive in a merchant market.

Additionally, the utilization of power supply from geothermal source “will guarantee the most efficient utilization of the facilities’ natural steam resources while ensuring maximum environmental benefit to the public.”