MANILA, Philippines — Consunji-led DMCI Power Corp. is on track to make its foray into the renewable energy (RE) business with the target operation of a 12-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Antique by March.
The P600-million Semirara Wind project is expected to provide clean power to support mining operations on Semirara Island, particularly those of Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC), the sister firm of DMCI Power.
SMPC, the country’s leading coal producer, wants to reach 16 million metric tons in coal production annually, the maximum limit allowed under its existing environmental compliance certificate.
Christopher Thomas Gotianun, SMPC VP and chief business development officer, said the wind farm would generate about 32 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year, potentially helping SMPC achieve an estimated P160 million in cost savings.
The commercial operation of DMCI Power’s first RE venture aligns well with its target of expanding its installed capacity by 27 percent with 43 MW of projects under development.
Other projects in the pipeline include an eight-MW bunker power plant in Palawan, set for completion by the first quarter of this year, and another eight-MW bunker facility in Masbate, scheduled for operation as early as April.
“DMCI Power remains committed to meeting the growing energy needs of off-grid areas. We were recently awarded contracts to supply two MW in Antique and an additional 15 MW in Palawan,” company president Antonino Gatdula Jr. said.
“Our ongoing and upcoming projects aim to deliver reliable and efficient energy solutions that support national progress,” Gatdula added.
In 2024, DMCI Power reached another all-time high of 491.2 gigawatt-hours in energy sales, up nine percent from the previous year.
The growth was propelled by robust demand in Palawan, Masbate and Oriental Mindoro, supported by the full-year operation of the company’s 15-MW Palawan thermal plant that began supplying power in August 2023.
This marked DMCI Power’s 14th straight year of record-breaking performance since it began operating in Masbate in 2010.
“We achieved record-high energy sales and ensured reliable operations across all our plants. The sustained growth in demand highlights our critical role in powering off-grid areas,” Gatdula said.
A subsidiary of listed conglomerate DMCI Holdings Inc., DMCI Power is one of the leading off-grid energy suppliers in the Philippines with a total installed capacity of 159.8 MW. It operates thermal, bunker and diesel power plants in Masbate, Oriental Mindoro and Palawan.