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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider 'City powered by clean energy': Makati cited as first LGU to champion renewable energy use

'City powered by clean energy': Makati cited as first LGU to champion renewable energy use

Published Mar 24, 2026 04:18 pm
Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay on Tuesday, March 24, announced that the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has recognized the city as the first local government unit (LGU) in the Philippines to champion 100 percent renewable energy utilization under the Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP).
A Certificate of Recognition is presented by Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan to Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay for being the first local government unit in the country to champion 100 percent renewable energy on March 19, 2026, during the signing of a nine-year Renewable Energy Supply Agreement between the city government and ACEN Corporation. In photo (from left): ERC Chief Energy Regulation Officer, Atty. Chiara Angelo Blanco; Makati City Engineer George William Hong; City Legal Officer, Atty. Ava Mari Ramel; Mayor Nancy Binay; ACEN Corp. President and CEO John Eric Francia; ERC Chair and CEO Francis Juan; ACEN SVP and Head of Transformation and Retail Tony Valdez; and ACEN VP and Head of Account Management Sheila Mina. (Photo from Makati LGU)
A Certificate of Recognition is presented by Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairperson and CEO Francis Saturnino Juan to Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay for being the first local government unit in the country to champion 100 percent renewable energy on March 19, 2026, during the signing of a nine-year Renewable Energy Supply Agreement between the city government and ACEN Corporation. In photo (from left): ERC Chief Energy Regulation Officer, Atty. Chiara Angelo Blanco; Makati City Engineer George William Hong; City Legal Officer, Atty. Ava Mari Ramel; Mayor Nancy Binay; ACEN Corp. President and CEO John Eric Francia; ERC Chair and CEO Francis Juan; ACEN SVP and Head of Transformation and Retail Tony Valdez; and ACEN VP and Head of Account Management Sheila Mina. (Photo from Makati LGU)
On March 19, the mayor received the Certificate of Recognition from ERC Chairperson and CEO Atty. Francis Saturnino C. Juan, during the signing of a nine-year Renewable Energy Supply Agreement between Makati and ACEN Corporation that will facilitate the full transition of all city government facilities to renewable energy.
“This initiative reflects how we envision Makati: a city powered by clean energy—fueling our public transport, energizing our businesses and households, and supporting our schools, hospitals, and public spaces. It is a vision that aligns with the goals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda and one that we are proud to actively pursue,” Binay said.
Under the agreement, all 154 city government facilities, including the New Makati City Hall, Ospital ng Makati, and the University of Makati, will shift from conventional power to 100 percent renewable energy sourced from ACEN’s solar, wind, and geothermal plants.
“That is nearly 10MW of combined load shifting to renewable energy,” the city government said.
Binay said that the partnership with ACEN is both timely and strategic, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East that are pushing up global energy costs.
“At a time when global uncertainties, including ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, continue to put pressure on power prices, this partnership is both timely and strategic. It strengthens our energy security while reducing the impact of rising costs of electricity on the city’s resources,” the mayor said.
The local government said that through a guaranteed discount on the prevailing utility generation charges under the agreement, the city is projected to save around P300 million over the nine-year contract period.
It added that over the life of the contract, the transition is expected to prevent about 289,885 metric tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to removing 62,000 cars from the road or preventing the combustion of 108 million liters of diesel.
The mayor also said the agreement is part of her administration’s push to adopt circular economy practices in the city, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
“This is how we want to govern. Clean energy powering our buildings, that same energy powering our electric vehicles, and savings going back to public services. That is what a circular economy looks like in practice, and Makati will be the proof of concept,” she said.
She also expressed hope that the agreement would encourage other LGUs in the country and in Southeast Asia to pursue similar programs.
“We want other cities to look at what we did here and say, 'We can do that too.' If the most urbanized, most densely populated financial district in the country can run on renewable energy, then other cities will also be inspired to try,” she stated.
In addition, ACEN will also install 19 EV charging stations at city facilities at no cost to the local government. Powered by the same renewable energy supply, the stations will support the city’s e-jeepneys, e-buses, and e-shuttles.

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