^{In photo: Department of Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin (center) is toured around the 221-MWp facility by Aboitiz Renewables President Jimmy Villaroman (left) and AboitizPower President and CEO Danel Aboitiz (right).}

The Department of Energy (DOE) has reaffirmed its support for Aboitiz Renewables Inc.’s expanding clean energy portfolio, highlighting the company’s 221-megawatt-peak (MWp) Olongapo Solar Power Plant as one of the government’s priority renewable energy projects.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin visited the solar facility in Olongapo on May 15, underscoring the Marcos administration’s push to accelerate the development of indigenous energy resources amid tight power supply conditions and continued volatility in global fuel markets.

“The Olongapo Solar Power Project is among the 22 renewable energy projects the DOE is fast-tracking as national priorities as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s clear instruction to accelerate the country’s energy transition,” Garin said. “The Filipino people deserve an energy system that is cleaner, more reliable, and more responsive to their needs, and we intend to deliver it.”

The Olongapo facility was energized in December 2025 and is one of the latest additions to the renewable energy portfolio of Aboitiz Renewables Inc..

During the site visit, Garin was joined by AboitizPower President and CEO Danel Aboitiz and Aboitiz Renewables President Jimmy Villaroman, who briefed DOE officials on the company’s project pipeline covering solar, geothermal, wind, and energy storage.

Garin said expanding local renewable energy capacity is critical to reducing the country’s exposure to imported fuel price shocks.

“Fuel markets remain volatile, shaped by geopolitics, including conflicts far from our shores. Countries that depend heavily on imported energy absorb those shocks first and most sharply,” she said. “We are building our way out of that exposure by generating more from our own land, our own sun, and our own people.”

The DOE visit comes as Aboitiz Renewables, the renewable energy arm of AboitizPower, continues to scale up its portfolio. The company said its attributable dependable capacity has increased to 2.3 gigawatts (GW), from about 900 MW in 2020.

In February, a consortium led by Aboitiz Renewables took over operations of the 789-MW Caliraya-Botocan-Kalayaan Hydroelectric Power Plant Complex, further expanding its renewable energy footprint.

“We value the opportunity to have open and productive discussions with DOE — not only on the opportunities ahead, but also on the challenges we must collectively address to attain the country’s energy transition aspirations,” Villaroman said.

The company said it is pursuing additional projects to help support the Philippines’ renewable energy targets of 35% of the power generation mix by 2030 and 50% by 2040.

 What are your thoughts on the DOE’s fast-tracking of priority renewable energy projects such as the Olongapo Solar Power Plant? Join the discussion.

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