A 6.6-MEGAWATT (MW) solar farm worth P500 million is set to rise in Anilao, Iloilo, marking a significant step toward strengthening the province’s energy security and advancing the country’s renewable energy goals.
Mabuhay Power Holdings Corp. and MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power), the sole power distribution utility in Iloilo City, formally broke ground for the solar facility in Barangay Cag-an on Thursday.
Once operational, the solar farm will generate more than 13,000 megawatt-hours, or 13 gigawatt-hours, of clean energy annually.
The output is expected to power approximately 5,416 households based on an average monthly consumption of 200 kilowatt-hours.
The project stems from a power supply agreement signed in July 2025 between MORE Power and Urban Energy Development Corp. (UEDC) for the supply of 6.6 MW of renewable energy. Mabuhay Power Holdings Corp. is a subsidiary of UEDC.
Carlo Jose Morales, chief operating officer of UEDC, said the project is the first phase of a larger renewable energy development planned for Anilao.
“Another solar development will be built right beside this and additionally in close proximity to this site. All in all, we are looking at a total capacity of over 36 MW that would be operating here in Anilao,” he said.
Morales said the facility will directly contribute to improving energy stability in Iloilo and the wider Visayas grid by providing locally generated renewable energy and reducing dependence on fossil fuel-based power sources.
He added that the development also aligns with the Philippine government’s target of increasing the share of renewable energy in the national power mix to 35 percent by 2030.
“We are currently experiencing frequent, even daily, yellow alerts in the Visayas. This means that the energy reserves are thin based on the demand for power. Fossil fuel-fed generation plants, though some are coming back online, are on outages,” Morales added.
Apart from supplying clean electricity, Morales said the estimated 20-year lifespan of the solar farm is expected to offset around 179,400 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Morales also highlighted the project’s economic benefits, saying it adopts a “local-community centric” approach that will create employment opportunities and stimulate economic activity in the host community.
The project is also expected to generate more than P29 million in government fees and local tax revenues over the plant’s lifespan.

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