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The Mt. Apo Geothermal Power Plant in Kidapawan City is drilling additional wells to increase its electricity output from about 80 megawatts (MW) to its installed capacity of roughly 104 MW, as improved grid access opens more room for geothermal power in Mindanao.
Energy Development Corp. (EDC) President Jerome Cainglet said the plant had previously been unable to maximize its capacity because of limited market access and transmission constraints. The situation has improved following the interconnection of the Mindanao and Visayas power grids and the expansion of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) to Mindanao.
“The immediate challenge for the Mount Apo facility is not the power plant itself but the steam supply needed to run it at full load,” Cainglet said in a press briefing for the Philippine Net Zero Conference in Pasay. “Thus, EDC is focusing on drilling more wells to extract additional steam and match the plant’s 104-MW installed capacity.”
The drilling program is aimed at addressing the plant’s current limitation, which is the availability of geothermal steam rather than the generating equipment itself.
The 450-MW Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project, built by the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, connected Mindanao and Visayas to the main Philippine power grid for the first time. WESM, meanwhile, began commercial operations in Mindanao in January 2023, allowing electricity to be traded in real time based on market prices.
The changes have expanded Mt. Apo’s potential market for additional generation. Cainglet said the combination of grid interconnection and WESM has significantly changed Mindanao’s electricity system, allowing additional geothermal output to find buyers as power demand grows.
Long-Standing Geothermal Operation
The Mt. Apo Geothermal Complex has operated for nearly 30 years and forms part of EDC’s overall geothermal development portfolio. The company has said geothermal remains particularly important because it can generate continuously, unlike renewable sources whose output varies with weather conditions.
The facility is located in an ancestral domain in Kidapawan City, making its operations closely linked to Indigenous communities, farmers and local government units.
EDC’s Mt. Apo operations have included forest protection and restoration programs, reflecting the relationship between geothermal development and the mountain’s watersheds. Company officials said healthy forests and watersheds help recharge underground geothermal resources.
The company’s environmental work at Mt. Apo includes forest patrols by Indigenous forest guards, a 25-kilometer fire line and programs for biodiversity conservation. EDC said it has documented 304 wildlife species at Mt. Apo, including the Almaciga tree and Apo Myna as among the facility’s flagship species.
The company has also supported local communities through education, livelihood and cultural programs. These include scholarships for Indigenous and community students, assistance to tribal farmers and programs supporting the preservation of Manobo language and traditions.
Transmission Remains Key
The planned increase in Mt. Apo’s geothermal output comes as Mindanao’s electricity demand continues to grow, driven by economic activity, industries and communities.
First Philippine Holdings and First Gen Corp. President Francis Giles Puno said additional geothermal generation could help meet that demand while reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels.
“Geothermal is a reliable renewable energy source because it can generate electricity continuously throughout the day and is not directly dependent on changing weather conditions,” Puno said.
Puno also pointed to transmission capacity as an important consideration for new renewable energy projects. Additional generation will need sufficient grid infrastructure to move electricity to consumers within Mindanao and, through the interconnected system, potentially to other parts of the country.
For Mt. Apo, the immediate priority is more steam. The additional wells are intended to close the gap between the plant’s current output of about 80 MW and its roughly 104-MW installed capacity, allowing the long-operating geothermal facility to contribute more power as Mindanao’s electricity requirements expand.
Source:
https://mb.com.ph/2026/09/15/mount-apo-geothermal-plant-to-raise-power-output-in-mindanao
https://mb.com.ph/2026/08/11/edc-highlights-mt-apo-plants-role-in-ph-renewable-energy
