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Manila Bulletin devider Business devider Trade & Industry devider APECO in advanced talks for 300-megawatt data center power deal

APECO in advanced talks for 300-megawatt data center power deal

Published Jul 20, 2026 12:00 am  |  Updated Jul 18, 2026 01:47 pm
(APECO photo)
(APECO photo)
The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) is in talks with one of the country’s largest power utilities to secure the electricity required to attract investments in data centers.
APECO President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Gil Taway IV said he is in advanced discussions with the company to provide reliable power within the Casiguran-based ecozone.
He noted that APECO is looking to pursue a distribution utility agreement, similar to how other investment promotion agencies have addressed their energy needs.
Earlier this month, APECO also held talks with one of Malaysia’s largest energy companies to explore potential investments in renewable energy (RE), such as solar and wind. The agency previously secured a commitment from a Singapore-based RE company to invest in a 25-megawatt (MW) solar power plant, with the project agreement expected to be signed next month.
According to Taway, two other domestic RE companies and a United States-based clean energy firm have also expressed interest in projects within APECO.
He said securing these agreements is part of the agency’s broader effort to assure the private sector that investments in the ecozone will be supported by a stable power supply. Taway acknowledged that some potential investors have hesitated to commit to electricity-intensive projects due to the ecozone's current grid limitations.
“A lot of investors are waiting because—let's face it—they won't invest if there's insufficient energy,” he told reporters last week.
One of the key sectors APECO aims to attract is digital infrastructure, particularly data centers, which have massive power requirements. For instance, Taway said he recently met with a data center provider whose proposed operations would require up to 300 MW of clean power.
To build out this ecosystem, APECO recently signed an agreement with InfiniVAN—the local telecommunications unit of Tokyo-listed IPS Inc.—to connect the ecozone to international submarine cable systems, a move expected to attract data center operators.
Beyond digital infrastructure, APECO is looking to strengthen its energy capacity to support other priority sectors, including manufacturing, fisheries and cold-chain operations, port and logistics activities, tourism, and national defense-related investments.

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Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO)
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