New Batangas center builds energy leaders

Aboitiz Power Corp. and Japan’s JERA Co., Inc. have opened a Global Technical Center of Excellence (GTCOE) in Batangas, a training hub established to help develop the next generation of energy leaders.

Located at the LIMA Commercial Center, the GTCOE is designed as a platform for technical training, knowledge-sharing, and leadership development across the power generation industry.

It will provide both classroom education and hands-on training at AboitizPower-affiliated facilities GNPower Mariveles Energy Center and GNPower Dinginin.

“A competent workforce is needed, especially in a rapidly evolving sector such as power generation,” AboitizPower Transition Business Group President and Chief Operating Officer Celso Caballero III said during the inauguration on Monday.

“The GTCOE is a platform where technical expertise meets with leadership, adaptability, safety, and global readiness. It is our way of ensuring that as the energy landscape changes, our people are not just keeping up, but leading the way,” he added.

AboitizPower said the GTCOE will partner with universities not only from top schools but also from institutions in its host communities, building a sustainable and inclusive talent pipeline.

According to Rolando Paulino, Chief Engineering & Projects Officer of AboitizPower’s Transition Business Group, the first batch of trainees will begin on 15 September, with six participants from AboitizPower and several from JERA.

A second group of around 32 participants—split almost evenly between the two firms—will follow in November. By yearend, the companies expect to have trained about 100 individuals.

“JERA and AboitizPower have built a strong trusted partnership grounded in shared values and a common commitment to the future of energy in the region.

The GTCOE represents a natural extension of this collaboration, focused on exchanging knowledge, developing energy talent, and creating lasting value for the broader energy ecosystem,” JERA Corporate Vice President and Chief O&M Engineering Officer Tetsuya Watabe said.

The launch is the latest milestone in the partnership between AboitizPower and JERA, which began in 2021 when the Japanese power firm invested in the Philippine company.

In 2023, the two companies also sealed a talent exchange program that deployed engineers to each other’s power plants for cross-border learning.

Beyond the GTCOE, the two companies are also working together on projects such as fuel ammonia substitution in coal-fired plants and the local development of hydrogen and ammonia supply chains.