Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) is now sourcing the electricity of its Batangas and Laguna campuses from geothermal power with the help of First Gen Corporation under the government’s Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).

Under an agreement signed on February 5, the university aggregated more than 1,150 kilowatts (kW) of electricity usage from the two campuses, which enabled it to qualify for direct supply under the program. The arrangement properly took effect on February 16, 2026.

The shift is made possible through RAP, which forms part of the country’s retail competition and open access framework. The program allows electricity consumers with at least 500 kW of demand to choose their own power supplier. Through aggregation, multiple facilities under the same ownership or within neighboring areas can combine their consumption to meet the threshold.

By combining the demand from its South Luzon campuses, LPU is now sourcing pure geothermal power from First Gen’s unified generating plants in Tongonan, Ormoc City and Kananga, Leyte. Geothermal energy provides stable, baseload renewable power- meaning it can generate electricity 24/7 regardless of weather conditions.

“Over the years we have learned a lot from the Lopez group and this partnership will not just help us make our campuses greener but also help us attain cost-efficiency on power. We are optimistic that our partnership with First Gen will open more opportunities for us to utilize more renewable energy and become more energy efficient,” said Dr. Peter Laurel, President of the Lyceum of the Philippines University.

First Gen subsequently welcomed the collaboration as retail competition thresholds continue to expand participation in programs such as RAP.

“As retail competition and open access were implemented and thresholds went down, we are proud to partner with LPU whose values and commitment to environmental sustainability align closely with ours. We look forward to being their progress partner as Lyceum moves forward with their vision to have green campuses,” said Carlo Vega, First Gen’s Chief Customer Engagement Officer.

The aggregation move signals how institutions beyond industrial players are beginning to use market mechanisms to manage electricity costs while also shifting toward greener energy sources. As more large consumers explore demand pooling, will other universities and commercial institutions follow suit under the RAP framework?

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