Environmental Initiatives

Environmental sustainability is conserving our natural resources and protecting the environment to preserve it for the future.

Our environmental sustainability efforts focus on providing for the needs of the present without compromising the future’s capability to meet greater demands. Through numerous environmental initiatives, such as tree planting, coastal cleanups, and biodiversity conservation, we can make the Better World we hope for a reality.

AboitizPower is one of the largest providers of renewable energy in the Philippines. We have taken steps to ensure that our footprint and impact are managed responsibly, driving our pursuit of sustainability and conservation. Read more about AboitizPower’s full Environmental Policy.

The company complies with various environmental laws in the Philippines, such as the  DENR DAO 2003-30 and related issuances, the Republic Act 6969, the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990.

Our Operational Control subsidiaries secure ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems as part of our commitment to environmental sustainability and our partner communities.

The company had no significant sanctions and  fines* related to environmental or ecological issues for 2024.

AboitizPower's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports are submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Environmental Impact Assessment & Monitoring Division, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

All EIAs can be accessed through DENR's Compliance Monitoring System (CMR) Online. However, the page is accessible only to the Environmental Regulators (DENR EMB) and can be requested by the public upon the regulator’s approval.

*Significant fines are those that exceed 10,000 USD

AboitizPower’s energy management approach centers on delivering reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy solutions while optimizing operational efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. This can be seen in the company’s commitment to increasing its renewable energy capacities to continue providing reliable, responsible, and reasonably priced energy to our customers.

[GRI 303] At AboitizPower, we monitor our water footprint and maximize efforts to conserve and recycle water. We contribute to preserving water cycles in our communities through watershed management programs and the rehabilitation of our communities’ rivers and esteros (creeks).

AboitizPower’s hydropower facilities comprise 11.1% of our energy portfolio, with 26 plant facilities nationwide. Water supply is critical and requires long-term risk management plans to ensure its viability for the future. This is why we regularly review and assess the applicability of our performance monitoring across our operations. The company also treats seawater efficiently and ensures environmentally sustainable operations are maintained without competing with the community for groundwater resources.

In 2024, our total water withdrawal amounts to 1.11 billion cu. meter, with insignificant water withdrawal coming from water stress areas. After proper treatment, 442 million cubic meters of water were discharged to different destinations. AboitizPower also had zero (0) water-related SHE penalties. Any incident was resolved without penalty, and a compliance action plan was unnecessary. 

Read more about our Water Managment data here: Water Management Data and 2024 Water Stress Mapping. (The Water Stress data for 2023 has been restated due to a clerical error from last year.)

AboitizPower follows its standardized guidelines on solid waste management, including proper segregation, handling, storage, and disposal. This guideline promotes environmentally sound methods that maximize the utilization of valuable resources, encourages resource reuse, recycling, and recovery, and establishes community partnerships where practicable.

Furthermore, the company ensures that all hazardous waste generated within the facilities is properly identified, labeled, and handled to avoid adverse impacts on human health and the environment.

In 2021, AboitizPower conducted a recalibration of the data monitoring of our environmental footprint. This includes identifying and tracking the hazardous wastes generated in our facilities.

Starting in 2021, our fly ash by-product is tagged and monitored as hazardous waste. Although initially tagged as hazardous, the fly ash generated from our coal facilities is conditioned to be non-hazardous and sent to our partners to use as raw materials for cement grinding and concrete mixing.

AboitizPower strictly complies with all environmental regulations in managing its coal plants' fly ash and bottom ash. By using facility waste as a viable raw material for cement companies, AboitizPower can create a closed-loop, value-adding fly ash management system. Our coal plants have partnerships with cement companies for using fly ash as an additive in cement production.

As part of our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, particularly on promoting sustainable industrialization, we continue to partner with various organizations and companies in innovating new ways to use our fly ash and bottom ash and turn them into eco-bricks and other sustainable construction materials.

Data Transparency: Waste data covers 100% of our operationally controlled generation and distribution units. Hazardous waste generated includes the fly ash generated from our TSI operations. In 2021, the bulk of the hazardous waste was fly ash. This was corrected in the succeeding years regarding proper identification and tagging.

1. Data includes Flyash generated.
2. Data includes fly ash recycled or reused.
3. Data has been restated to account for an additional 2 tons of I101.
   

Data Transparency: Waste data covers 100% of our operationally controlled generation and distribution units

In line with our carbon emissions reduction and commitment to improving climate change resilience, the company and its subsidiaries have implemented initiatives and activities that promote biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability.

Our team members’ volunteerism and partnership with our host communities, government agencies, non-government organizations, and people’s groups make these activities possible. Some of these activities include the Annual Aboitiz Group-wide simultaneous tree planting, Cleanergy Park and watershed projects, adoption of protected areas, adopt-a-river and adopt-a-marine sanctuary, agroforestry projects, and environmental rehabilitation. In April 2024, AboitizPower’s subsidiary Therma South, Inc. (TSI) met its goal of planting 1 million trees for its Carbon Sink Management Program (CSMP). 

In 2010, AboitizPower adopted a female Philippine eagle named Pangarap, contributing to wildlife conservation efforts. She continues to receive essential support for her well-being, including funding for food, veterinary care, and shelter maintenance. She now serves as a distinguished ambassador for conservation education, captivating audiences with her majestic presence and inspiring stories.

As part of our environmental efforts, we have installed pollution control devices, new technology, and systems in our plant operations to improve our processes and optimize our resources.

Furthermore, to contribute to SDG 15 (Life on Land), the Aboitiz Group, through its A-Park program, has planted over 12 million trees across the Philippines, with five million coming from AboitizPower’s tree planting initiatives. From 2016 to 2024 alone, we planted over 2.6 million trees in 6,225 hectares.

During these years, the company also contributed to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) through 365 coastal and river cleanup activities, resulting in 232,987 kg of waste collected. One of these coastal cleanup efforts is called the “Scubasurero,” where AboitizPower’s Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) works together with volunteer divers, Bantay Dagat, fisherfolks, and members of the Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine National Police, to collect submerged waste near the TVI facility and Bato Marine Sanctuary.  Learn more about our CSR initiatives related to the environment here.

One of the material topics associated with the energy sector is GHG emissions. At AboitizPower, we value transparency and integrity across our operations. We are responsible for reporting our operations' GHG footprint.

In 2021, as part of our environmental reporting recalibration, we launched and utilized a new tool for our GHG emission accounting. We also recalibrated our previous year's results to ensure that the data reported is consistent with the current year.