Acciona Energia has broken ground on the 176MWp Daanbantayan solar plant on the island of Cebu in the Philippines.
The project, which will involve an investment of around €120m, is due to begin operations at the end of 2026.
The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by representatives from Acciona Energia as well as local dignitaries including the governor of Cebu and the mayor of Daanbantayan.
Production at the solar plant will reach 280GWh a year, the equivalent to the energy consumption of more than 300,000 people.
In addition, the project will include the installation of a battery energy storage system (BESS).
This will enable part of the energy generated by the plant to be stored, allowing it to be released at peak demand to provide stability to the grid.
For the distribution of electricity, Acciona and the provincial government of Cebu have signed the country’s first public-private agreement (PPP) on energy.
The Daanbantayan solar project is in line with the Philippine Development Plan and reinforces the government’s objectives of increasing the renewable share to 35% of the energy mix by 2030 and to 50% by 2050.
Daanbantayan is Acciona’s first photovoltaic plant in the Philippines and the largest being built in the Visayas archipelago.
The company recently broke ground on the 100MW Kalayaan 2 wind farm in Laguna province, and has announced the development of another 156MW wind farm in Pantabangan, 150 kilometres north of Manila.
