Energy Development Corporation (EDC), the renewable energy arm of the Lopez Group, plans to gradually decommission its 129-megawatt (MW) Upper Mahiao geothermal power plant in Leyte, with the first two of four units slated for shutdown by 2026 and the remainder by 2029.

EDC Vice President and Corporate Information Officer Ryan Velasco said Tuesday the move comes as the facility “has already reached its maximum economic life, and its generation of electricity has become no longer technically viable.”

As such, Velasco said the company will conduct site feasibility studies to explore options, “including the potential repurposing or redevelopment of the area.”

Despite retiring the facility, EDC is still expanding its renewable energy portfolio. As of August, the company’s geothermal capacity reached 1,189.34 MW—accounting for 56 percent of the nation’s installed geothermal power and helping position the country as the world’s third-largest geothermal producer.

Earlier this year, the company commissioned the 22-MW Tanawon geothermal plant and is on track to energize the 28-MW Mahanagdong binary plant, along with three 20-megawatt-hour battery energy storage systems in Leyte and Negros Oriental, before the end of the year.