PGPC eyes up to 400-MW geothermal capacity expansion

BATANGAS — Philippine Geothermal Production Company, Inc. (PGPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of SM Investments Corp., is targeting to add up to 400 megawatts (MW) of capacity over the next five to seven years through six pipeline projects.

“What we have on our radar is around 250 to 400 [MW],” PGPC President Napoleon L. Saporsantos, Jr. told visiting reporters at the Makiling-Banahaw (Mak-Ban) geothermal site on Tuesday.

PGPC currently operates steam fields in Mak-Ban, which straddles Laguna and Batangas, as well as in Tiwi, Albay, with a combined capacity of 682 MW.

The company also holds several geothermal service contracts under exploration. These include Mt. Labo across Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, and Quezon; Mt. Malinao in Albay; Daklan in Benguet; and Baua-Sikaw in Cagayan.

It also has interests in geothermal prospects in Kalinga and Southwest Kalinga.

For 2026, PGPC has allocated about P3 billion for initial exploration activities.

“What’s really our focus are the Malinao and Labo [sites] because we already have drilling in those two, so that’s sort of our priority in terms of development,” Mr. Saporsantos said.

PGPC developed Southeast Asia’s first commercial geothermal power project in 1971 and has been supplying geothermal steam to power plants since 1979.

Mr. Saporsantos said geothermal energy helps support power supply stability, particularly amid global fuel supply uncertainties linked to the Middle East conflict.

“The important contribution of geothermal in the Middle East crisis is making sure that we’re operating optimally,” he said. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera