‘GREEN LIGHT’: MORE Power breaks ground on PHP 500-million Iloilo solar farm

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), the sole power distribution utility in Iloilo City, and Mabuhay Power Holdings Corp. broke ground on a PHP 500-million solar farm in Barangay Cag-an, Anilao, Iloilo, the first phase of a renewable energy complex planned to exceed 36 megawatts.

The initial 6.6-megawatt facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2026.

It will generate more than 13,000 megawatt-hours, or 13 gigawatt-hours, of clean energy annually.

The output can power about 5,416 households based on an average monthly consumption of 200 kilowatt-hours, project proponents said.

The groundbreaking was held June 4 and was attended by MORE Power Vice President Niel Parcon, Mabuhay Power officials, local government leaders, and industry partners.

The project stems from a power supply agreement signed in July 2025 between MORE Power and Urban Energy Development Corp. (UEDC) for the supply of 6.6 MW of renewable energy.

Mabuhay Power is a subsidiary of UEDC.

Carlo Jose Morales, UEDC chief operating officer, said the Anilao project is only the start of a larger solar development in the area.

“Another solar development will be built right beside this and additionally in close proximity to this site. All in all, we are looking at a total capacity of over 36 MW that would be operating here in Anilao,” Morales said.

Morales said the solar farm will help improve energy stability in Iloilo and the wider Visayas grid by adding locally generated renewable power and reducing dependence on fossil fuel-based sources.

“We are currently experiencing frequent, even daily, yellow alerts in the Visayas. This means that the energy reserves are thin based on the demand for power. Fossil fuel-fed generation plants, though some are coming back online, are on outages,” Morales said.

The Visayas grid has faced recurring yellow alerts as electricity demand rises across Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, and Bohol, highlighting the need for new generation capacity and more resilient energy infrastructure.

The Anilao facility is also expected to offset around 179,400 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over its estimated 20-year operating life.

Morales said the project will adopt a “local-community centric” approach by creating jobs during construction and operations while supporting economic activity in the host community.

Developers said the solar farm is also projected to generate more than PHP 29 million in government fees and local tax revenues over its lifespan.

The project supports the national government’s target of raising the share of renewable energy in the country’s power mix to 35 percent by 2030.