Energy Transition
Tycoons Swoop in on the Clean Energy Boom, Raising Prices for Consumers: A story in 6 parts
Highlights Companies owned by some of the country’s richest business tycoons have run circles around government regulators, allowing them to gain control of the country’s clean…
By Guinevere Latoza·June 23, 2026
Energy Transition
High power bills? Filipinos can have cheaper energy if Manila can drill in Recto Bank despite China row
Recto Bank, an underwater reef in the West Philippine Sea, remains an enigma. Little is publicly disclosed about it beyond its geology, oil and gas potential, and the decades-long…
By Leilani Chavez·January 18, 2026
Energy Transition
Philippines’ renewable sector races to meet targets as coal plants linger and LNG grows
As the Philippines confronts the climate crisis, activists argue that the urgency that once fueled the construction of coal plants to solve the power crisis of the 1990s must now…
By Carmela Fonbuena·September 29, 2025
Energy Transition
The tycoons behind the Philippines’ dirty energy
Tycoon-led conglomerates hold the power to accelerate—or obstruct—the Philippines’ shift to clean and affordable electricity. They are pouring money into renewables but continue…
By Carmela Fonbuena·September 25, 2025
Energy Transition
MAP: Who owns the power plants in the Philippines?
The Aboitiz Group is the country’s biggest power producer, based on July 2025 data from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). It was followed by San Miguel Corporation. Together…
By Carmela Fonbuena·September 24, 2025
Energy Transition
‘It’s not safe here anymore’: Life in a small Philippine coal town
In Villanueva, Misamis Oriental — where two coal-fired power plants dominate the skyline — residents live with health worries they’ve grown almost accustomed to. Many have accepted…
By Carmela Fonbuena·September 10, 2025
Energy Transition
In one small town, a coal plant may hold the key to Philippines’ dirty energy exit
The government’s move to retire its last coal plant is expected to send a strong signal to private coal plant owners that the reign of fossil fuels is ending. Following the buyout…
By Carmela Fonbuena·September 2, 2025
Energy Transition
Do you live near power plants? Check our map
Data from the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) show that the Philippines has an installed generating capacity of 28,390 megawatts (MW) as of July 2025. Luzon accounts for the…
By Carmela Fonbuena·September 1, 2025
Energy Transition
In 2023, Marcos Jr.’s administration oversaw the expansion of renewable energy and fossil fuels
Talks at the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP 28 in Dubai may influence the government’s energy plan, which is expected to be released before the end of the…
By Elyssa Lopez·December 20, 2023
Energy Transition
Developers ready to build more solar farms — they just can’t connect them to the grid
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines, a monopoly in the transmission industry, is a bottleneck in the growth of green energy.
By Elyssa Lopez·March 21, 2023
Energy Transition
Why green energy can’t gain ground in the Philippines
The piecemeal and problematic implementation of the Renewable Energy Law is blocking clean and cheap energy for millions of Filipinos.
By Elyssa Lopez·March 21, 2023
Energy Transition
Liquefied natural gas: a dirty, costly detour
The Philippines detours from the renewable energy path to dirty, expensive and imported fossil gas.
By Cherry Salazar·March 11, 2023
Energy Transition
The last fishermen of Ilijan
Gas projects destroy way of life in Batangas fishing communities.
By Cherry Salazar·March 9, 2023
Energy Transition
The power players: Who owns new LNG projects in PH?
Liquefied natural gas may be a new industry in the local energy sector, but old names are behind the companies bringing the technology to Philippine shores.
By Elyssa Lopez·March 7, 2023
Energy Transition
Verde Island Passage in danger as LNG projects flock to Batangas
The ‘solution’ to the looming energy crisis breeds irreversible damage to the ‘Amazon’ of the oceans.
By Cherry Salazar·March 7, 2023
