MTerra Solar Phase 1 fully energized at 1,373 MW + 825 MW BESS, inaugurated by Marcos
President Marcos formally inaugurated Phase 1 of the MTerra Solar Project in Gapan, Nueva Ecija on 14 July 2026: 1,373 MW of solar PV and 825 MW (3,300 MWh) of battery storage now energized and exporting up to 750 MW to the Luzon grid, about 91% of Phase 1's 2,500 MWp/3,300 MWhr target. Full Phase 1 commercial operation is expected around August-September 2026 after grid testing; Phase 2 (bringing the project to its full 3,500 MWp/4,500 MWh scale) is targeted for completion around Q1 2027. This is a readiness upgrade, not a new project: it builds on the initial 600 MW synchronization already recorded in sig.energy.2024-11-21.0001 and the opp.solar-storage.central-luzon.001 thesis.
MCC approves USD 60-million Threshold Program grant for Philippine energy permitting reform
The US Millennium Challenge Corporation's Board approved a USD 60-million Threshold Program grant on June 24, 2026 funding the Energy Development Governance Efficiency (EDGE) project, which pairs regulatory reform of energy planning, permitting, rate-reset, and PSA-approval processes with targeted investments to lock those reforms in operationally. DOF announced the approval July 9, 2026; US congressional approval is anticipated by August 2026 with signing targeted for September 2026. Officials frame it as a qualifying stepping stone toward a larger five-year MCC compact, the tier the Philippines last received (USD 434 million, 2011-2016).
DOE indefinitely suspends GEA-5, the Philippines' first offshore-wind-only auction round
Via GEA-5 Advisory No. 2, dated July 4, 2026, the DOE placed all activities under the fifth Green Energy Auction Program round (GEA-5) on hold until further notice. GEA-5 is the country's first auction dedicated exclusively to fixed-bottom offshore wind, offering 3,300 MW of capacity for delivery between 2028 and 2030, with the auction proper originally set for around August 27 and notices of award expected by September 23. DOE Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said the pause allows the department to recalibrate the process around port readiness, permitting requirements, environmental and port-related cost implications, and possible global supply-chain disruptions. DOE Undersecretary Mylene Capongcol disclosed that of 95 previously awarded offshore wind service contracts, only 20 holders expressed intent to participate in GEA-5, with 9 companies currently advancing to the next evaluation stage.
ADB-backed P10.07B geothermal exploration de-risking facility clears final approval
On July 7, 2026, the Economy and Development (ED) Council, chaired by President Marcos, gave final approval to the Philippine Geothermal Resource Derisking Facility (PGRDF), a PHP 10.07-billion mechanism financed through an Asian Development Bank sovereign loan and administered via LANDBANK. The PGRDF is the country's first dedicated risk-sharing facility for early-stage geothermal exploration, intended to absorb the high upfront cost of exploration drilling (long before any kilowatt is delivered) and catalyze private-sector participation in a domestic baseload renewable resource that has seen little new development. It was approved alongside four other projects (LRT-1 Common Station, TESDA's BEST program, DPWH's seismic resilience retrofit, and DICT's AI infrastructure master plan). DOE publicly welcomed the approval two days later.
First Gen signs 25-year NIA agreement to build 120-MW Aya Pumped-Storage Project in Nueva Ecija
First Gen Hydro Power Corp. signed a 25-year memorandum of agreement with the National Irrigation Administration on June 30, 2026, authorizing it to develop, construct, operate, and maintain the 120-MW Aya Pumped-Storage Project at the Aya and Masiway Reservoirs in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija. The agreement, renewable for another 25 years, grants First Gen official endorsement to secure the project's remaining permits. The project, previously estimated at roughly PHP 6 billion, has been in development since an initial 2019 feasibility MOU with NIA and is now targeted to begin commercial operations in 2030.
DOE escalates against 121 non-responsive gencos, threatens Certificate of Compliance cancellation over outage reporting failures
The Department of Energy issued show-cause orders on June 29, 2026 to 175 power generation companies (164 on-grid, 11 off-grid) for failing to submit mandatory self-assessment reports on forced outages, deratings, and missed committed capacity for the March 2025-March 2026 period. On July 7, 2026, DOE said 114 of the 174 on-grid gencos and 7 of 29 off-grid gencos, 121 firms combined, still had not responded. Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said non-response is itself a violation and that DOE may suspend or revoke Certificates of Endorsement and recommend Certificate of Compliance cancellation to the Energy Regulatory Commission, which would bar noncompliant firms from government-approved power supply auctions.
Energy-emergency interventions (WESM suspension precedent, Malampaya-fund fuel procurement, Russian crude diversification, storage mandate) outlast the Hormuz shock that triggered EO 110
EO 110 declared a national energy emergency on March 24, 2026 after a Strait of Hormuz closure cut off roughly a fifth of global oil supply while the Philippines sourced 98 percent of its crude from Middle East suppliers. The DOE suspended WESM for five weeks, DBM released P20 billion from the Malampaya Fund for direct fuel procurement, and Petron secured 2.48 million barrels of Russian crude under a now-lapsed US Treasury waiver. Oil markets have since normalized (Brent ~$72, WTI ~$69, Citigroup projecting $60-$65 by December) as Hormuz shipping recovers, but a late-June flare-up in US-Iran tensions showed the underlying import-dependency risk is unresolved even as the price premium fades.
EDC executes PHP 30-billion, 40-well drilling program targeting 85 MW of added geothermal capacity by 2026
EDC inaugurated the 22 MW Tanawon plant in Sorsogon (PHP 7B, August 2025) and targets the 5.6 MW Bago Binary plant in 2026; its PHP 30B program had completed 29 of 40 wells by mid-2025. EDC's ~1,189 MW portfolio is ~56% of national geothermal capacity, keeping the Philippines third globally.
450-MW Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection enters commercial operation, ending Mindanao's grid isolation
NGCP's MVIP — a 184 circuit-km HVDC submarine link plus converter stations and 500+ circuit-km of overhead lines, expandable to 900 MW — began commercial operation, allowing surplus-rich Mindanao to export power to the Visayas and unifying the three grids for the first time.
Scatec-Aboitiz Magat BESS expansion enters commercial operation as storage-integrated auctions scale
Scatec and Aboitiz Power brought the 16 MW Magat BESS 2 into commercial operation on the strength of ancillary-services reserve revenues earned since 2024, with 120 MWh more under construction; DOE's GEA-4 IRESS category (~1.2 GW, minimum four-hour storage) makes storage a condition of auction offtake.
Philippines races to 10.72 mtpa of LNG regasification as Malampaya depletion nears early 2027
Malampaya, source of over 99 percent of domestic gas, has been declining since 2022 with depletion estimated by early 2027; four upcoming terminals add regasification capacity toward 10.72 mtpa, anchored by First Gen's Batangas FSRU (interim ops October 2024; 25-year license January 2025).
GEA-4 awards 10,195 MW across 123 projects; DOE unveils ~25 GW auction pipeline through 2035
The fourth Green Energy Auction finalized with 10.2 GW awarded (4.1 GW ground solar, 2.3 GW floating solar, 2.2 GW onshore wind, ~1.2 GW IRESS) for 2026-2029 delivery. GEA-5 offers 3,300 MW of offshore wind for 2028-2030; GEA-6 (floating, Q1 2026), GEA-7 (rooftop/storage), GEA-8 follow.
US and Korean partners fund Philippine nuclear program steps toward a 1,200 MW by 2032 target
USTDA committed USD 2.7M (February 2026) for Meralco PowerGen to evaluate US SMR designs; KHNP, Korea Eximbank and Meralco signed an MOU (March 2026) on technology transfer, workforce, feasibility and financing. National targets: 1,200 MW by 2032, 2,400 MW by 2035, 4,800 MW by 2050; KHNP is studying Bataan rehabilitation.
DOE awards 2 GW offshore wind portfolio contracts to Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), through its Copenhagen Infrastructure New Markets Fund (CI NMF), secured three 25-year Offshore Wind Energy Service Contracts (OWESCs) with the Department of Energy (DOE) for a 2 GW offshore wind portfolio. The projects include the 1,000 MW San Miguel Bay Offshore Wind Project (Camarines Norte/Sur), a 650 MW project in Northern Samar, and a 350 MW project in Pangasinan/La Union. CIP became the first 100% foreign-owned entity to secure wind service contracts in the Philippines after nationality restrictions were lifted.
DOE-backed 3,500 MWp MTerra Solar + 4,500 MWh storage breaks ground in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan
Terra Solar Philippines (a SPNEC/Meralco PowerGen venture) broke ground on the MTerra Solar Project on 21–22 November 2024: 3,500 MWp of solar PV paired with a 4,500 MWh battery energy storage system across ~3,500 hectares in Nueva Ecija and Bulacan. The Department of Energy publicly welcomed the investment as 'a substantial contribution to the Luzon grid,' and the project carries a DOE Certificate of Energy Project of National Significance (CEPNS, issued 23 July 2024) and a BOI Green Lane Certificate (5 August 2024). Total investment is reported at US$4.0 billion (over PHP 200 billion). Phase 1's first 600 MW block was synchronized and energized with the Luzon grid in February 2026.
Aboitiz brings utility-scale solar online across Visayas and Luzon: Calatrava (173 MWp), Olongapo (211 MWp), San Manuel (89 MWp)
As of late 2025, Aboitiz Renewables (ARI) anchors a multi-region utility-solar cluster: the 173 MWp Calatrava plant in Negros Occidental reached full commercial operation in July 2025 (the largest operating variable-renewable installation on the Visayas grid); the 211 MWp Olongapo plant in Zambales was ~95% complete and entering commissioning; and the 89 MWp San Manuel plant in Pangasinan was under construction. Together they show solar scaling beyond the Luzon megaproject story into the Visayas and secondary Luzon provinces.
Triconti Seawind consortium secures first-ever Philippine grid connection agreements for 1.65 GW of offshore wind
In February 2026, the consortium of Triconti ECC Renewables, Stream Invest Holdings AG, and Seawind Asia AG secured the first-ever grid connection agreements (GAs) in the Philippines for an offshore wind portfolio. The agreements cover three projects totaling 1.65 GW: the 450 MW Frontera Bay project, the 600 MW Guimaras Strait project, and the 600 MW Guimaras Strait II project. These agreements secure the grid integration pathway, enabling the consortium to participate in the upcoming Green Energy Auction (GEA-5).