ACEN Corp., the renewable energy unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., is exploring prospective power supply partnerships with locators at the incoming Pax Silica artificial intelligence (AI) hub in New Clark City, as officials weigh grid infrastructure constraints against massive operational power requirements.

Eric Francia, ACEN chief executive officer, told reporters that the energy producer is open to collaborating with prospective tenants within the planned development, having held initial exploratory talks as the project takes shape.

“Yeah, of course,” Francia said when asked about potential partnerships in the upcoming development. “We’ve had preliminary discussions before, but nothing to advance.”

Francia added that ACEN intends to engage directly with power industry stakeholders once individual locators begin advancing their facility developments within the Pax Silica initiative.

The initiative, designed as a semiconductor and AI ecosystem, is expected to require substantial electrical capacity to maintain uninterrupted, and round-the-clock operations.

Data center infrastructure within the industrial zone alone could handle between 300 megawatts and 400 megawatts of data capacity, according to recent estimates from the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

However, the overall draw on the electrical grid will be significantly higher, as heavy cooling infrastructure, power delivery losses, and backup systems push total power consumption well beyond core computing needs.

The projected demand has already raised concerns among government regulators and market observers over where the industrial complex will secure such capacity without straining existing utilities.

In neighboring Zambales province, ACEN is advancing 948 megawatts of solar capacity. This regional pipeline includes the 585-megawatt SanMar project in San Marcelino and the 363-megawatt solar facility in Palauig.

To reinforce these generation assets, the company is simultaneously constructing 1,660 megawatt-hours of battery energy storage systems alongside planned transmission network enhancements.

While linking the incoming solar and battery capacity in Zambales to the Pax Silica hub in Clark is technically viable, Francia explained that limited transmission capacity entering the Clark area requires a carefully executed grid expansion strategy.

“It’s possible, but again, as I said—we need infrastructure,” Francia said, emphasizing that the company’s solar and storage capacity is being built for direct grid connection.

“We need to be very careful, because we don’t want that high load demand to cannibalize what would have gone to the general consumers. That’s where the policy should be defined.”

Beyond regional grid bottlenecks, Francia pointed out that elevated real estate prices in New Clark City make building on-site power generation economically unviable.

Instead, new power plants built to service the hub’s heavy load will likely be earmarked for cheaper, more expansive acreage in neighboring provinces.