DMCI Power revs up 2026 capex to P2.4 billion

February 3, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Consunji-led DMCI Power Corp. (DPC) has jacked up its capital expenditures (capex) to P2.4 billion this year to support expansion, riding on another all-time high in energy sales.

DPC president Antonino Gatdula Jr. said the 2026 budget — already 71 percent higher than last year’s P1.4 billion —may still rise depending on the pace of project rollouts.

Most of the capex would go toward the construction of new thermal facilities, while the rest would fund hybrid and renewable energy projects to meet rising demand in far-flung service areas.

In particular, the country’s leading off-grid power producer plans to build a 15-megawatt circulating fluidized bed coal-biomass facility in Palawan, next to its existing 15-MW facility.

DPC is in the process of securing the project’s environmental compliance certificate, with approval targeted within this quarter or early April.

“After that, we can commence with the construction, which is why the capex is larger in 2026,” Gatdula said in an interview last week, noting that the development stage could begin by the fourth quarter.

Similarly, the company is set to develop an eight-MW bunker-fired power plant in Roxas, Palawan, and a one-MW diesel facility in Caluya, Antique. Its project pipeline also includes a four-MW solar farm and an 11-MW-hour battery energy storage system in Caluya.

In Occidental Mindoro, DPC awaits the awarding of a 17-MW bunker facility, which could drive additional capital spending this year.

These off-grid expansion plans come on the heels of DPC’s strong performance last year, with energy sales reaching a record 522.2 gigawatt-hours, up six percent from 491.2 GWh in 2024.

The growth was attributed to the commissioning of the 12.5-MW Semirara Wind Project in the second quarter of 2025, marking the company’s first foray into renewables.

Also contributing to this growth were two additional eight-MW bunker units in Aborlan, Palawan, bringing DPC’s total installed capacity to 188.3 MW.

“Delivering our highest sales for the 15th consecutive year reflects the growing demand in off-grid areas and our continued focus on providing reliable, cost-efficient power,” Gatdula said.

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