The energy pivot: Charting a cleaner, stronger future for the Philippines

As climate risks mount, key players are redefining how electricity is produced and delivered, combining innovation, scale, and sustainability.

- By ANTHEA GRAPE

The Philippines is standing at a critical energy crossroads.

For decades, we have relied on imported coal and fuel oil — a costly, unstable setup for an archipelago already living with the realities of climate risk.

Now, that dependence is beginning to shift.

A handful of powerful players are shaping what could be a cleaner, more resilient energy future. The decisions they make today will determine how Filipinos power homes, industries, and cities for generations to come.

ACEN: LEADING THE CLEAN ENERGY CHARGE

No company has pivoted more dramatically than ACEN, the energy arm of the Ayala Corporation. Once tied to coal, it is now one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing clean-energy leaders, having recently divested its remaining diesel assets.

"The divestment will help the company achieve its goal of reaching 100 percent renewable energy generation by end-2025," ACEN said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.