First Gen Corporation, through its renewable energy subsidiary Energy Development Corporation (EDC), inaugurated the 22-megawatt (MW) Tanawon Geothermal Power Plant on Friday, adding critical clean baseload capacity to the Philippine grid.

Located within the Bacon-Manito (Bac-Man) geothermal field in Sorsogon, the PHP 7-billion facility is expected to generate 159,000 MWh annually and offset over 38,000 tons of CO₂ emissions each year. It is the second of seven new projects under EDC’s current expansion pipeline.

“Tanawon is a showcase of what Filipinos can do when we come together with a shared vision of powering a regenerative future,” said Giles B. Puno, President and CEO of First Gen Corporation.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin called Tanawon “a prime example” of the Marcos administration’s vision to align climate action with energy security. “By switching on Tanawon, we do more than energize a new facility—we affirm our shared commitment to a Philippines that is clean, secure, climate-resilient, and economically strong,” she said.

Garin also emphasized geothermal’s role in the national energy strategy. “For an archipelagic country prone to both natural disasters and fuel price volatility, this is an asset we cannot afford to underutilize,” she said in her keynote address.

Tanawon was granted a Certificate of Energy Project of National Significance (CEPNS) by the Department of Energy in 2020. It was completed in 27 months through the joint effort of EDC, First Balfour, and Toshiba.

EDC President and COO Jerome Cainglet said the project “is not only a proud achievement for First Gen and EDC, but also a win for the country’s energy security and climate resilience journey.”

Present at the inauguration were DOE execs, as well as local government officials including city Mayor Ma. Ester Hamor.

The Tanawon facility follows the commissioning of the 29MW Palayan Binary Geothermal Plant in 2024. EDC expects to bring online three Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects totaling 40MWh and the 28MW Mahanagdong Binary Plant within the year, with another geothermal project slated for completion in 2026.

How can geothermal and baseload renewables like Tanawon reshape the Philippine energy mix? Join the conversation. 

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