Maibarara Geothermal Inc. (MGI) welcomed New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Catherine McIntosh, as well as a high-level delegation from New Zealand’s geothermal sector during a visit to the Maibarara Geothermal Power Plant (MGPP) in Batangas on September 8, 2025.

The 20+ member delegation, composed of representatives from the diplomatic, energy, business, research, and education sectors, was in the country for the Philippines-New Zealand Geothermal Week 2025 organized by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE). The event coincided with the 6th Philippine International Geothermal Conference, co-hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Geothermal Association of the Philippines (NGAP).

Delegates included officials from the University of Auckland–Geothermal Institute, New Zealand Geothermal Association, Contact Energy, Earth Sciences New Zealand, JRG Energy Ltd., MB Century, Seequent, and Western Energy.

MGI President Francisco G. Delfin Jr. and company officials briefed the delegation on Maibarara’s operations, community support, and environmental initiatives. The group also toured the site’s steamfield, power generation, and transmission facilities, all of which currently deliver 32 megawatts (MW) of clean and indigenous baseload energy.

The visit also provided a preview of MGI’s deep exploration drilling program set for 2026. It is aimed at testing an undrilled sector of Maibarara that may hold additional geothermal resources to expand capacity.

“MGI is grateful for the services rendered by New Zealand firms that were instrumental in MGI’s early success, from reserve estimation through laboratory services and cooling tower treatment; from downhole surveys through well work-overs, and digital mapping,” said Delfin. “As important, we thank the New Zealand government for providing human capital development assistance for Filipino geothermal professionals. MGI’s own workforce has benefited from this generosity, and we proudly reaffirm our commitment to sustaining and deepening this collaboration.”

Ambassador McIntosh brought praise to the collaboration, saying, “It was an inspiring day to see the Maibarara geothermal facility in action, together with eight New Zealand geothermal companies and institutes, as part of the Philippines–New Zealand Geothermal Week 2025. I thank Maibarara Geothermal Inc. for the warm welcome and for sharing its great work in community support, environmental stewardship, and expanding geothermal capacity.”

She added that the partnership reflects the “deep and longstanding geothermal partnership” between the two countries and noted the achievements of Filipino engineers who trained in New Zealand under the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship Programme.

Do you think more international partnerships like this could accelerate the energy transition in the Philippines?

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