The Pangilinan Group is taking bolder steps to meet the growing data center market’s power needs by exploring ways to power these facilities with clean electricity.hungry facilities with clean electricity.
Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGEN), and PLDT’s Vitro Inc. have partnered to launch a feasibility study for ‘sustainable’ digital infrastructure in the country.
Under the pact, both parties would conduct joint technical and commercial studies to assess potential sites, power generation capacity, renewable energy resources, connectivity requirements, data center specifications, and commercial structures.
MGEN would determine potential sites for data centers integrated with power generation facilities. In addition, it would also assess power supply arrangements.
Meanwhile, Vitro will focus on data center design and site studies, connectivity planning, and discussions with hyperscalers and locators.
‘This collaboration reflects the growing convergence between the energy and digital infrastructure sectors. Power increasingly influences where and how developers establish data centers,’ MGEN president and CEO Emmanuel Rubio said in a statement Wednesday.
‘By bringing together our respective capabilities, we can explore solutions on how reliable, cost-competitive, and sustainable power can be integrated into the development of digital infrastructure,’ he added.
Additionally, the government has been positioning the Philippines as a data center hub. For years, facilities meant to store and process digital information have been on the rise amid the booming services for financial technology, cybersecurity, and AI-powered programs.
Moreover, data from the International Energy Agency previously showed that these assets worldwide, including in Southeast Asia, have been growing 70 percent annually, especially with the popularity of artificial intelligence.
The Department of Energy earlier urged clustered data centers to deploy or build their own generation and storage networks to ensure they do not compromise electricity meant for households and other businesses.