Aboitiz Renewables, Inc., the clean energy arm of Aboitiz Power Corporation, will expand its solar capacity in Negros Occidental to 471 megawatt-peak (MWp) once the new Luna Solar Power Plant becomes operational. The 239-MWp facility is located in Barangay Luna, Cadiz City, and officially broke ground in late July.
The project also includes a 65-megawatt battery energy storage system, making it Aboitiz Renewables’ first combined renewable energy and storage facility on Negros Island. It is the company’s largest solar project in the Visayas so far, with full operations targeted for 2028.
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, Jr. welcomed the investment. “It is both a pleasure and a privilege to host such investment from our good partners, Aboitiz Renewables,” he said. “It only shows our capability to host, manage, and accept big projects, and it signifies the intention of our city to expand beyond agriculture.”
Developed in coordination with local governments and host communities, the Luna plant follows the 173-MWp Calatrava Solar Power Plant and the 59-MWp SacaSun facility. The area is well-suited for solar projects due to high levels of sunlight throughout the year.
“Our solar journey began here in Negros Occidental with SacaSun, our very first solar plant in San Carlos City,” said Aboitiz Renewables president Jimmy A. Villaroman during the groundbreaking ceremony. “As we break ground on Project Luna — which will surpass even Calatrava once in operation — returning to this island for our third and biggest project feels like coming home.”
Villaroman added that choosing Negros Occidental was a careful decision. “Negros Occidental has proven itself an ideal hub for renewable energy, not only because of its natural potential but because of the proactive local policies that allow clean energy projects to move forward with confidence.”
With the Luna project, Aboitiz Renewables now operates 45 clean energy facilities across the Philippines covering solar, hydro, geothermal, and energy storage. The company has a project pipeline of more than 1,800 megawatts in solar, hydro, and wind power as it continues to expand nationwide.
