AboitizPower issues notice-to-proceed for 1,000MW greenfield projects

With the goal of delivering 1,000 megawatts (MW) of new greenfield solar farm projects into commercial service over the next two years, Aboitiz Power Corporation is planning to issue notices-to-proceed (NTP) for their development. 

In a report by the Manila Bulletin, outgoing AboitizPower President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio said that the firm had already geared up to circulate the notice to proceed for almost 1,000 MW of solar projects slated for construction in the latter part of 2025 and the early part of 2026.

The Aboitiz group has planned a 4,600 MW development plan for its aimed renewable energy (RE) portfolio, which would equalize its energy mix by 2030. Rubio emphasized that these new installations were a part of it. 

The recent capacity addition the firm had integrated into the Luzon grid included the 120 MW Cayanga solar project and the first 76 MW of the 100 MW Laoag solar installations, which were both situated in Pangasinan. 

As for the power system’s demand for an expansion of baseload capacity, Rubio said that AboitizPower would uphold its plan for a third unit of the 150 MW Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) coal-fired power plant located in Toledo, Cebu, for which the firm is still considering prospective engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) suppliers. 

Additionally, coal emerged as the cost-effective option for the proposed capacity expansion in Visayas. Should liquefied natural gas (LNG) push through, it would result in a higher consumer cost, with an increase of Php 2.00 per kilowatt hour (kWh) compared to expanding a coal plant.

Rubio said that a 150 MW LNG would not be a feasible option, as it wouldn’t be competitive considering the extent of Visayas’ scope. 

Moving forward, he mentioned that Aboitiz Power’s additional capacity contribution will come from its investment in the Ilijan gas-fired power plant. This venture involved partnerships with MERALCO PowerGen and SMC Global Power Holdings of the San Miguel group. The new generating units are slated to be fully operational by the end of this year.