ACEN Corporation, the energy company owned by the Ayala Group, announced on July 27, 2026, that it is building one of the Philippines’ biggest renewable energy centers in Zambales province. The company is developing nearly 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar power and battery storage projects that will help provide cleaner electricity to Filipinos.

What ACEN is Building in Zambales

Think of ACEN’s Zambales project like building a giant solar farm – but it’s actually two massive solar farms working together:

• SanMar Solar project: This is a 585 megawatt (MW) solar farm built on more than 500 hectares of land that was previously covered in lahar (volcanic ash and debris). The land used to be unusable, but ACEN is turning it into a productive solar energy source.
• Palauig Solar project: This is a 363 MW solar facility, making it one of the largest solar developments in the entire country.

Combined, these two projects represent 948 MW of clean energy capacity. To help understand how much power that is, once everything is fully operational, these solar farms will generate about 1,400 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity every year – enough to power around 340,000 Filipino homes.

Right now, about 450 MW is already working and producing electricity, while the rest is still being built. ACEN expects to finish the remaining construction by 2027.

Giant Batteries to Store Sunshine

One problem with solar power is that it only works when the sun is shining. So what happens at night or on cloudy days? This is where batteries come in.

ACEN recently started building huge Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) with 1,660 megawatt-hours (MWh) of storage capacity across its Zambales solar facilities. Think of these like enormous rechargeable batteries that store extra electricity generated during sunny days. This stored energy can then be released when people need it most – like during evening hours when families are cooking dinner and using more electricity, but the sun has already set.

These batteries help make solar power more reliable and useful throughout the day and night.

Building Roads and Creating Jobs

According to ACEN, building these renewable energy projects isn’t just about making electricity – it’s also about helping local communities. Here’s what the company has done:

• Local jobs: About 80% of the workers building these projects come from nearby communities, with most being members of the Ayta Indigenous Peoples community. This creates work opportunities in areas where jobs have traditionally been hard to find.
• Better roads: ACEN built approximately 6 kilometers of roads and bridges that help remote indigenous communities travel more easily to schools, hospitals, and markets. These roads will continue helping people even after the solar farms are finished.
• Power connections: The company completed 14 kilometers of transmission lines (the power lines that carry electricity) to connect the solar farms to Luzon’s main power grid, with another 22 kilometers still being built.

Miguel de Jesus, ACEN’s Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer for Philippine Development and Operations, explained their approach: “At ACEN, we believe renewable energy projects should create value far beyond the electricity they generate. In Zambales, we are not only building one of the country’s largest renewable energy hubs—we are investing in infrastructure, creating local jobs, supporting indigenous communities, and strengthening the country’s long-term energy security.”

Helping the Environment and Energy Security

When fully operational, ACEN’s Zambales projects are expected to prevent approximately 800,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. That’s equivalent to removing around 175,000 gasoline-powered cars from the roads annually.

By using solar power instead of importing fossil fuels like coal or oil from other countries, the Philippines becomes less dependent on foreign energy sources. This helps protect Filipino consumers from price changes in global fuel markets and strengthens the country’s control over its own energy supply.

About ACEN Corporation

ACEN Corporation (PSE: ACEN) is listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and serves as the Ayala Group’s main energy platform. The company is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy companies in the Asia Pacific region, with the Philippines as its core market. ACEN also operates in Australia, Vietnam, India, Lao PDR, Indonesia, and other countries.

The company currently has approximately 7 GW of renewable energy capacity across operational, under-construction, and committed projects. ACEN focuses entirely on renewable energy generation (100%) and aims to reach Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

ACEN has 39,951,435,064 common shares outstanding, along with 8,341,500 Series A Preferred Shares and 16,658,500 Series B Preferred Shares, according to the disclosure filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This article is based on the company’s official press release and disclosures filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange’s Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology (PSE EDGE) system. For the complete and official version of the announcement, readers may visit the PSE EDGE website and search for the company’s filing directly.