Local officials in Eastern Visayas have expressed optimism on the potential impacts of the rising number of renewable energy in the region.
Not only will these projects help reduce the province’s energy issues, officials said the presence of renewable-energy projects in Eastern Visayas will also generate employment and create economic opportunities in a region that has suffered a major setback in 2025.
Three major three renewable energy projects worth a combined P33.39 billion have been approved by the Board of Investments (BOI) in the region, according to Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Regional Director Meylene Rosales.
These include the P2.7-billion, 250-megawatt (MW) Sunpalo Solar Power Project in Barangay Guinciaman, San Miguel, Leyte; the P29-billion, 304-MW Gemini Wind Power Project spanning Calbayog City in Samar and San Isidro in Northern Samar; and the P1.8-billion, 120-MW Victoria Green Power Corp. solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Babatngon, Leyte.
According to DEPDev-8, the Sunpalo solar project will rise on a 400-hectare site in San Miguel, with 250 hectares initially allocated for the facility.
Meanwhile, the Gemini Wind Power Project, located along the Samar–Northern Samar boundary, is an expansion of the ongoing P19-billion, 206-MW San Isidro Wind Project, a joint venture of Vena Energy, Vivant Energy, and Aboitiz Renewables.
The expansion will add 38 wind turbine generators, each with a capacity of 8 MW, complementing the existing 33 turbines rated at 6.25 MW each.
On the other hand, DEPDev-8 said the Victoria Green Power Corp. facility, to be built in Barangays San Agustin and Taguite in Babatngon, will include ground-mounted solar PV modules, inverters, transformer systems, switchgear, and a substation.
In addition, Rosales said Energy Development Corp. plans to invest around PHP30 billion to rehabilitate and expand the Leyte Geothermal Production Field.
As part of the multi-year program, a new power plant will replace aging facilities starting in 2026, potentially increasing capacity by about 55 percent.
"These developments will not only generate jobs and attract investments but also strengthen Eastern Visayas' role in the country's energy landscape and support other industries," Rosales said.
Rosales said these projects will help accelerate economic growth in 2026 after the region experienced a major slowdown last year.
Eastern Visayas recorded a 1 percent growth rate in 2025, a sharp decline from the 6.2 percent expansion posted in 2024.
Earlier, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the slowdown stemmed largely from a 9.6 percent contraction in the manufacturing sector following the closure of Philippine Associated Smelting and Refining (PASAR) Corp.
PASAR, the country's only copper smelter located in Isabel, Leyte, ceased operations in February 2025 due to global market pressures and raw material shortages.
Manufacturing, which included PASAR's operations, accounted for 13.9 percent of the region's economy in 2025.
(With report from PNA)
#WeTakeAStand #OpinYon #OpinYonNews