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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider DMCI Power plans ₱2.4-billion spending to boost off-grid supply

DMCI Power plans ₱2.4-billion spending to boost off-grid supply

Published Feb 2, 2026 12:28 pm  |  Updated Feb 2, 2026 01:15 pm
The off-grid energy arm of listed conglomerate DMCI Holdings Inc. is nearly doubling its capital spending this year as it accelerates a mix of renewable and conventional energy projects in the country’s missionary areas.
Antonio E. Gatdula Jr., DMCI Power Corp. president, said the company has earmarked ₱2.4 billion for capital expenditures in 2026, up from ₱1.4 billion a year earlier.
Gatdula said the bulk of the allocation will fund the construction of a new thermal power plant, which is expected to be completed within 20 months.
The investment surge comes as DMCI Power seeks to stabilize power supply in remote provinces while reducing reliance on expensive diesel-fired generation.
Among the company’s priority developments is a second coal-fired facility in Palawan, which is currently awaiting an environmental compliance certificate.
The project involves a 15-megawatt circulating fluidized bed plant capable of utilizing both coal and biomass, mirroring the technology and capacity of the company's existing assets in the region.
Beyond Palawan, DMCI Power is navigating a busy pipeline of unsolicited proposals and competitive bids.
In Occidental Mindoro, the firm is awaiting final endorsement from the National Electrification Administration for a 17-megawatt bunker-fired power plant.
Gatdula noted that DMCI Power emerged as the lowest bidder in a December auction held by the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative and has already cleared the post-qualification stage.
Once the regulatory endorsement is secured, DMCI Power expects to receive the formal notice of award. The company is also targeting solar expansion in Masbate and further capacity additions in Palawan through 8-megawatt bunker plants in Aborlan and Roxas.
In Antique, a proposed power project for Caluya remains pending. Gatdula said that shifting away from pure diesel generation is financial necessity for these missionary areas, noting that one of DMCI Power’s existing integrated projects has already generated approximately ₱1 billion in savings for the power system.

In 2025, DPC reported a six percent increase in energy sales to 522.2 gigawatt-hours, bolstered by the commissioning of the 12.5-megawatt Semirara Wind Project. That project marked the company’s initial foray into renewable energy.
With the addition of new bunker plants in Aborlan, DPC’s total installed capacity rose 17 percent to 188.3 megawatts last year. Its newest Palawan venture is slated to begin operations by the fourth quarter of 2027.
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