MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Energy (DOE) is imposing P24 billion in penalties on Solar Philippines, a renewable energy firm founded by Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste, for failure to meet commitments.

According to reports, the DOE is relinquishing 163 renewable energy service contracts issued from 2024 to 2025 with a total capacity of 17,900 megawatts. Of this, Solar Philippines had nearly 12,000MW worth of contracts canceled. The DOE has been bidding out renewable energy projects through the green energy auction program to speed up renewable infrastructure in the country.

The Ombudsman is investigating Leviste for supposedly “selling” his solar business’ franchise to tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, an allegation that Meralco PowerGen Corporation has since denied.

Solar Philippines promotes itself as “the largest solar company in Southeast Asia with over 300MW of generating capacity and 10,000 hectares of land area conducive for solar farms.”

Its portfolio on its website boasts of over 10,000 hectares of land to be developed in solar energy zones in Batangas, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac.

– Rappler.com