Aboitiz Renewables Inc. (ARI), the renewable energy arm of AboitizPower Corporation, is scaling up its solar portfolio with a target of energizing 313.64 megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar capacity by December 2025, Manila Bulletin reports.

“We have one [solar project] in San Manuel in Pangasinan, and then [another one] in Olongapo,” said Leo Lehbo Lungay, vice president and general manager of ARI’s solar and wind business group. He confirmed that the 212 MWp Olongapo solar project in Zambales will be AboitizPower’s largest solar project to date.

ARI currently operates approximately 532.19 MWp in solar assets. “We already have six: three [located in] Pangasinan, another one in Tarlac, and two in Negros Occidental,” Lungay said. The company’s largest operational solar facility is the 173 MWp Calatrava solar project in Negros Occidental.

During a site visit to the Cayanga-Bugallon solar facility, ARI showcased its 94.717-MWdc solar plant, built on a 44.6-hectare sloping, non-arable terrain. “It’s designed to follow the natural contours of the mountain terrain,” Lungay noted, adding that expansion at the site is unlikely due to its optimized layout.

Lungay also shared the company’s interest in floating solar projects. “We’re largely considering [this kind of technology]. It’s not outside of our radar, [and] it’s closer to our chest than before,” he said. “We have a floating solar in North Luzon… The fundamental requirement here is the body of water.”

He emphasized that project feasibility and access to appropriate water areas remain key considerations for floating solar development.

In addition to solar, ARI is progressing on wind initiatives. In January, it took full ownership of the 90 MW Libmanan onshore wind project in Camarines Sur after acquiring the shares of its former partner, Mainstream Renewable Power Philippines Holdings B.V., in Cornerstone Energy Development, Inc.

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