A year after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vowed to overhaul the country’s troubled power sector, cranes, solar farms and battery storage systems are beginning to replace promises with megawatts.

The government’s energy buildout is accelerating, adding new generating capacity to the grid and moving closer to its target of completing nearly 200 power plants by 2028.

Yet while more projects are coming online, millions of Filipinos are still waiting for the administration’s bigger promise to materialize: lower electricity bills, fewer blackouts and reliable power reaching every household.

The latest Department of Energy (DoE) monitoring report shows the pace is gaining ground.

As of 20 July, 45 power projects have reached commercial operation, nearly doubling from 26 projects reported in April. Together, they have injected 1,674.280 megawatts (MW) of fresh capacity into the country’s power grid — enough to strengthen electricity supply as demand continues to climb.

Beyond generation, the expansion also includes 11 battery energy storage systems with a combined capacity of 209.638 MW, providing fast-response reserves that help stabilize the grid during peak demand and supply disruptions.

The gains represent another milestone in the flagship energy agenda, which aims to expand generation capacity while shifting the country toward cleaner electricity sources. But the construction race is far from over.

Solar projects

Of the 200 power plants under government monitoring, the DoE is currently fast-tracking 25 priority projects targeted for commercial operation following their installation in April. Twelve have already crossed the finish line, contributing 385.177 MW to the grid.

The remaining 13 projects, representing another 958.895 MW, are now in the final stages of grid integration. Most of that pipeline is renewable.

Eight are solar projects accounting for 900.345 MW, complemented by four hydropower facilities totaling 28.550 MW and a 30-MW biomass plant, underscoring the administration’s push to diversify the country’s energy mix while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

The centerpiece of that strategy is already beginning to deliver power.

MTerra Solar, the country’s largest integrated solar and battery project, has already begun dispatching electricity to the Luzon grid, supplying up to 85 MW under its initial phase.

“This is a defining moment for MTerra Solar. With the facility now operational, we have started a bigger journey — ramping up generation and steadily delivering capacity that strengthens energy security and advances the Philippines’ self-reliance,” said MGEN president and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio.

Bill shock continues

When fully completed, the project is expected to generate 3,500 MWp of solar power backed by a 4,500-MWh battery energy storage system, enough to supply around 2.4 million households while avoiding an estimated 4.3 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually.

Yet even as generation expands, consumers are unlikely to see immediate relief on their monthly bills.

The challenge remains steep. In June, the Philippines recorded Southeast Asia’s highest residential electricity rates as supply shortages and widespread power plant outages drove electricity costs above Singapore’s, underscoring why the administration is racing to add more generating capacity.

Energy Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said the country’s average residential electricity rate reached P12.43 per kilowatt-hour, narrowly overtaking Singapore for the month.

She attributed the spike largely to supply shortages in the Visayas, where 21 power plants were on forced outage, forcing the region to rely on imported electricity from Luzon and Mindanao while remaining under yellow alert since May.

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has clarified that Filipinos will continue paying separate charges that fund electricity subsidies and renewable energy programs.

Subsidy charge

A P0.01-per-kWh lifeline subsidy charge now finances free electricity for qualified low-income consumers using up to 50 kilowatt-hours monthly, expanding assistance to more marginalized households, including beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and families listed under Listahanan.

“To achieve this legislative objective, ERC Resolution 2, Series of 2026, established a uniform national subsidy charge of P0.01/kWh,” the regulator said.

Consumers also continue to pay the P0.2011-per-kWh Feed-in Tariff Allowance and the P0.0371-per-kWh Green Energy Auction Allowance, charges designed to finance the country’s renewable energy expansion.

Outside the main grids, the administration is also trying to fix one of its most visible energy failures.

Following the prolonged power crisis that crippled Siquijor and forced the province to declare a state of calamity, the DoE has begun streamlining the permitting process for energy projects on the island.

The agency recently introduced a standardized ordinance template for local governments to shorten approval timelines and speed up investments in power infrastructure.

The move comes as Siquijor, which currently depends on three diesel plants with a combined capacity of 17.8 MW, prepares for the development of a 4.29-MW solar project intended to strengthen the island’s long-term energy security.

RadPlan

Meanwhile, the administration is also laying the groundwork for another long-term pillar of its energy strategy.

The DoE has updated the country’s National Radiological Emergency Response Plan following the creation of the Philippine Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, establishing a new framework for responding to nuclear and radiological emergencies should the Philippines eventually pursue nuclear power generation.

“The review of the RadPlan strengthens our coordination mechanisms and ensures that our emergency response arrangements remain practical, effective and responsive,” Energy Undersecretary Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said.

The Marcos administration’s energy agenda is no longer defined only by ambitious targets.

Power plants are being completed. Battery storage systems are entering the grid. Large-scale renewable projects are beginning to dispatch electricity.

The next chapter, however, will determine whether those investments translate into what consumers have been promised all along: electricity that is not only cleaner and more abundant, but also cheaper, more reliable and within reach of every Filipino household.