Basic Energy breaks ground on 43.41-MW Cadiz solar project in Negros Occidental

Basic Energy Corp. has started development of a 43.41-MW solar power project in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental. The project, its first solar development to reach groundbreaking, is part of a 187.23-MWp solar portfolio.

BASIC ENERGY Corp. has started development of a 43.41-megawatt (MW) solar power project in Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, as part of its 187.23-megawatt-peak (MWp) solar portfolio.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the listed company said its wholly owned subsidiary Basic Energy Cadiz 1 Corp. held the groundbreaking for the Cadiz 1 Solar Power Plant on Sept. 18 in Barangay Luna. The utility-scale, ground-mounted solar photovoltaic project will supply power to the Visayas Grid and will connect to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines through a substation about 5.4 kilometers from the site.

The project covers more than 60 hectares and will have an installed capacity of 54.26 MWp direct current and 43.41 MW alternating current. It will use about 84,784 solar photovoltaic modules and 145 inverter and medium-voltage station units.

The Department of Energy issued a Certificate of Authority for the project in March 2025 and later awarded its Solar Energy Operating Contract. In January, the project also secured a Certificate of Award under the fourth Green Energy Auction Program.

Basic Energy said TBEA, a Chinese power equipment and engineering company, had been awarded the engineering, procurement, and construction contract, while the land had been secured and technical studies completed. Cadiz 1 is the first of Basic Energy’s solar projects to reach this stage and forms part of the company’s 187.23-MWp solar portfolio across four projects.

The company also has a wind portfolio totaling 449.99 MW, alongside projects in geothermal energy, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging.