FIRST Gen Group, the country’s leading producer of renewable energy (RE), held groundbreaking ceremonies Wednesday, 11 March 2026, to mark the start of construction of its first utility-scale solar project — the 54-megawatt Inara Solar Power Plant Project in Brgy. Bilog-bilog, Tanauan City, Batangas.
Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto and other local government officials joined First Gen President Francis Giles B. Puno and other company officers in the groundbreaking, as well as lowering of the time capsule, for the solar project.
“Solar brings accessibility, scalability, and abundance – allowing clean energy to be deployed more rapidly and across many locations. Through this project, we aim to expand renewable energy in a way that continues to create opportunities for both communities and industries,” Puno said during the ceremonies.
The Inara project will occupy a 36-hectare property in Tanauan, which includes space designated for its expansion to 100 MW as well as the integration in the future of a battery energy storage system for operational flexibility and grid stability.
First Gen also plans to incorporate into Inara’s project design a provision for Agrivoltaics, or agri-photovoltaics (agri-PV), which co-locates the planting of agricultural crops within the solar photovoltaic energy generation site.
“This [agri-PV approach] means farmers can continue cultivating crops even as solar panels generate electricity above,” Puno also said. “Energy production does not have to displace agriculture; the two can work together, allowing the same land to support both food production and clean energy. “
The solar project will likewise help improve the quality and reliability of services being offered by the Batangas Electric Cooperative (Batelec) II by embedding the project in the electric co-op’s distribution system.
It is also expected to provide electricity to First Philippine Industrial Park (FPIP), a First Gen sister company operating the 520-hectare economic zone just 11 kilometers away and where more than 150 locators operate.
“The Inara project is economically significant because it will help augment the rising energy demands of our growing industries and households. More supply of renewable energy means that Batangas becomes an even more attractive investment destination for industries and locators,” said Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto.
Targeted for completion by summer of next year, the Inara project forms part of the First Gen Group’s program to expand its capacity to 13,000 MW or by roughly another 9,000 MW by year 2030.
First Gen, the leading RE producer in the Philippines, has 1,700 MW of generating capacity from 30 hydro, geothermal, solar and wind facilities nationwide.
The bulk of the First Gen Group’s expansion capacity will consist of power plants running on RE, such as solar, in support of government’s goal to increase RE’s share in the country’s energy mix to 35 percent by 2030 and to 50 percent by 2040.
The First Gen Group is acquiring a 33% stake in the pumped storage hydropower (PSH) portfolio of Prime Infrastructure Capital (Prime Infra), which covers the 600 MW Wawa PSH project in Rizal, and the 1,400MW Ahunan PSH project in Laguna—both certified by the national government as “energy projects of national significance.”
First Gen is also partnered with Prime Infra through a 40% stake in four gas-fired power plants with a combined capacity of 2,017 MW. These gas facilities support baseload requirements and help offset the intermittency of renewable sources, thereby contributing to a more stable and secure power supply.
In addition, the First Gen Group also has a joint venture with PT DSSR Daya Mas Sakti (DSSR), a subsidiary of PT Dian Swastatika Sentosa Tbk (DSSA), to jointly develop six geothermal power projects with a combined potential of 440 MW.
DSSA is a part of Sinar Mas, one of the largest conglomerates in Indonesia.
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