THE Department of Energy (DOE) is expecting new power projects, with a combined capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW), that will come on line up to the first quarter of 2026.
‘We are expecting some other projects that may be commissioned by the first quarter of 2026.In fact, after our meeting yesterday, this expectation for the first quarter of 2026 has already increased. The identified capacity is up to around 1,200 megawatts,’ DOE Undersecretary Mario Marasigan said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Energy on Wednesday.
For the remaining months of the year, the agency is expecting the commercial operations of 11 renewable energy (RE) power projects and one battery energy storage system (BESS). He did not identify the project proponents but these are developers of solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass energy technologies.
In the first quarter of next year, Marasigan said more solar projects are expected to be switched on.
‘The expected projects to be operational by first quarter of 2026 will increase with an aggregate capacity of about 1,200 MW,’ Marasigan said when sought for clarification.
These new power projects are part of the committed capacity cited during the 2025 state of the nation address. Back then, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said over 12,000 MW of new capacity are expected to come on line in the next few years. ‘In response to the directive of the President, we immediately convened our committees through a special order wherein concerned units and staff and personnel were assigned to monitor keenly, outside of the regular monitoring, some projects that are committed up to 2028, while we focus on projects that may be completed by 2026,’ Marasigan said.
Some of these committed projects were already operational as of October 3. Based on data presented to the committee, there are seven power projects, with a combined capacity of 923.58 MW, and five battery energy storage system (BESS) with 130MW capacity, that are already up and running.
‘We have monitored 900 megawatt capacity already in place and operational,’ the DOE official added.
Committed projects are those that are in the pipeline since these already underwent financial closing and contracted engineering procurement and consultancy services.
The DOE said project proponents normally encounter delays in the execution of their committed projects because of the lack of interconnection and transmission facilities, among others. Marasigan said the agency is in constant communication with other relevant agencies and the private sector to address these challenges.
‘We are also continuously coordinating the monitoring of these projects with the project developers themselves, just like what we did yesterday afternoon.
If we have concerns with the Department of Agrarian Reform or the Department of Agriculture regarding the right of way, we immediately coordinate with them.
Also, the DOE monitoring team continuously conducts actual inspection of these projects to ensure that it is not just on paper that is being validated, but also in the actual inspection of these projects,’ Marasigan said.
Clarification on EVs
Meanwhile, the agency clarified a recent advisory from the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) concerning electric vehicles (EVs).
Based on the advisory, EV owners are being required to secure a certification from the DOE as a prerequisite for the number coding exemption implemented along EDSA and other major thoroughfares in Metro Manila.
Section 25(a)(2) of Republic Act No. 11697, also known as the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA), provides an exemption from the mandatory unified vehicular volume reduction program or number coding implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other relevant agencies. This exemption is valid for eight years from the Act’s implementation and applies to all EVs.
To support the implementation of non-fiscal incentives under EVIDA, including the number coding exemption, the DOE issued Department Circular No. DC2023-05-0012, as amended by DC2025-09-0015, known as the Electric Vehicle Recognition Guidelines.
The DOE circular establishes the process for recognizing and classifying EVs, such as Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs). The DOE maintains a list of recognized EV models on the EV Industry Portal.
Therefore, there is no need to secure a certification from the DOE since the agency has already recognized which EV models are covered by its guidelines.
‘The DOE remains committed to the effective and harmonized implementation of the EVIDA Law and continues to collaborate with partner agencies, including the LTO, MMDA, PNP-HPG, DILG, and LGUs, to promote the country’s transition toward sustainable and low-emission mobility,’ it said.