Energy & Mining

Accelerating power sector reforms could slash electricity prices, create more than 161,000 jobs and lift about 730,000 Filipinos out of poverty by 2030, with the World Bank arguing that lower energy costs may be one of the country's biggest catalysts for faster and more inclusive economic growth.

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.

Holcim is selling its Philippine operations to China-based Huaxin Building Materials in a transaction valued at USD807 million, marking a major shift in the ownership landscape of one of the country’s biggest cement producers.

OceanaGold Philippines Inc. (OGPI) has allocated P768.43 million under its Final Mine Rehabilitation and Decommissioning Plan (FMRDP) for the Didipio gold and copper mine that spans Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino provinces. In a statement released Sunday, the listed mining firm confirmed that P551.4 million has already been placed in a trust fund. The company said the fund will keep growing in line with required annual contributions as it moves forward with rehabilitation and closure preparations while the mine remains active.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has granted the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) provisional authority to collect a higher Feed-in Tariff Allowance (FIT-All) rate starting this month. The rate will rise to P0.3359 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from the existing P0.2011 per kWh, marking an increase of P0.1348 per kWh. This adjustment covers the approved working capital allowance (WCA) rate update.