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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DMCI Power seeks DOE nod for hybrid RE-coal project, grid link in Semirara

DMCI Power seeks DOE nod for hybrid RE-coal project, grid link in Semirara

Published Jan 29, 2026 02:32 pm

Off-grid energy provider DMCI Power Corp. (DPC), a subsidiary of DMCI Holdings Inc., is looking to bring more renewable energy (RE) into its portfolio as it plans to expand beyond its existing 12.5-megawatt (MW) wind facilities on Semirara Island.

In a roundtable interview on Wednesday night, Jan. 28, DPC President Antonio Gatdula Jr. disclosed that the company has sought the approval of the Department of Energy (DOE) for the development of an RE-coal hybrid project.

“What we proposed to the DOE is we put up solar, wind, and coal plants in Semirara. We need a strong baseload: 30 MW of coal, and then the rest can be supplied using RE,” he told reporters. The firm also aims to displace bunker and diesel fuel and pursue the Mindoro-Semirara subsea cable project.

When the company computed the potential benefits of displacing bunker and diesel units, Gatdula said this could translate into around ₱2 billion in annual savings for the universal charge for missionary electrification (UCME).

“What’s cheap is the coal, and it’s available 24/7. Then, we will put up the solar facility that wouldn’t displace any agricultural lots because Semirara is industrial... The DOE saw the benefits,” he added. “I think it’ll be clearer in the next quarter.”

Gatdula noted that DPC currently operates two wind facilities with a combined capacity of 12.5 MW in Semirara and is applying for an additional 100 MW, while also aiming to bring in at least 2,000 MW of solar assets.

The company is also pushing for the development of the 19-kilometer (km) Mindoro-Semirara submarine cable, which would take around two years to construct. Gatdula said DPC is currently looking to forge foreign partnerships for the grid link, particularly to support surveying and other pre-development studies.

He added that the proposed cabling project is more cost-effective than the Batangas-Mindoro interconnection.

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