First Gen Corporation on Wednesday began construction of its first utility-scale solar facility, the 54-megawatt Inara Solar Power Plant, in Barangay Bilog-bilog, Tanauan City, Batangas Province.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Vilma Santos‑Recto, governor of Batangas, along with local officials and First Gen president Francis Giles B. Puno.
Puno said solar energy allows faster and wider deployment of clean power and can create opportunities for both communities and industries.
The Inara project will cover about 36 hectares and has space for expansion up to 100 MW. Plans also include a battery energy storage system in the future to improve grid stability.
First Gen said the project will use agrivoltaics, allowing farmers to grow crops under the solar panels so the land can support both agriculture and electricity generation.
Once operational, the plant is expected to help improve power services of Batangas Electric Cooperative II and supply electricity to the nearby First Philippine Industrial Park, an economic zone with more than 150 companies.
Governor Santos-Recto said the project will help meet rising power demand in Batangas and make the province more attractive to investors.
The solar plant is targeted for completion by summer 2027 and is part of First Gen’s plan to increase its total power capacity to 13,000 MW by 2030, mainly from renewable energy sources.
The company currently operates about 1,700 MW of capacity from hydro, geothermal, solar and wind facilities across the Philippines.
First Gen is also expanding through other projects, including pumped-storage hydropower ventures with Prime Infrastructure Capital and geothermal developments with Indonesia-based PT Dian Swastatika Sentosa Tbk through its subsidiary PT DSSR Daya Mas Sakti.
