Therma Visayas, Inc. Therma South, Inc.

AboitizPower drives action toward biodiversity protection and carbon sinks

January 31, 2025

From harmonizing industrial development and environmental preservation to reaching out to help host communities, Aboitiz Power Corporation (AboitizPower) believes in a corporate mission of shared prosperity and progress inspired by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

As one of the Philippines’ largest power producers and distributors, AboitizPower’s capacity to enact positive change is maximized to Transform Energy for a Better World for its customers, the environment, and the different host communities who house its operations.

SDG 14: Life Below Water

Last year, AboitizPower invited diving enthusiasts called Scubasureros — a combination of the words scuba divers and basureros or garbage collectors — to dive in the jetty of its 340-megawatt Therma Visayas power plant. Located at the western coast of Cebu Island bordering Toledo City, the plant faces the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape, the largest marine protected area in the Philippines, covering 534,589 hectares.

“Usually, in other areas, we already see trash on the way to the dive site. But before the dive in the power plant jetty, we didn't see any trash,” said Agnes Sabonsolin-Bautista, diver and marine biologist. “During the dive, the reef was pretty clean, and in the rock and rubble area, a lot of new coral growth was observed. We saw several fish species too.”

“When we volunteered for this Scubasurero dive, our assumption was that we’d be collecting trash underwater. We thought the columns of the jetty would be entangled with a lot of trash. But when we went down, it was the exact opposite. Instead of trash, we found a thriving ecosystem instead,” added Roxie Diaz, marine biologist.

This was verified by a Marine Biodiversity Assessment Report by environmental firm Ridge to Reef, which found 56 species of fishes residing in coral reefs within the power plant’s vicinity. It also recorded six seagrass species and 28 genera of phytoplankton in the area, as well as 15 species of macroinvertebrates. To date, 14 different species of mangroves have been recorded across the coastline.

These results and observations reflect Therma Visayas’ regular monitoring of the marine biodiversity within and near its site of operations, complying with the provisions of its Environmental Compliance Certificate and other environmental plans to protect and conserve the coastal area and the waters. Moreover, Therma Visayas also holds regular coastal clean-up drives along Toledo’s shores together with the local community, with over 9,300 kilograms of trash collected in foreshore areas since 2022.

“This shows how Therma Visayas is a partner when it comes to resource management, protection, and preservation in the area where they operate. We see how they take care of the sites where their structures are, as well the fulfillment of their social responsibilities to the community,” Diaz said.

“The power plant has a coastal resource management program, which includes our information, education, and communication campaign for our host community regarding solid waste management and policies on the Strait Protected Seascape,” said Therma Visayas Environmental Supervisor Emalyn Sevilla.

“We also support the livelihood of our local fisherfolks through training like how to build and maintain fiber glass boats, done in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” she added.

The Scubasurero project is being managed closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Tañon Strait Protected Seascape; Toledo’s City Environment & Natural Resources Office and City Agriculture Office; Bantay Dagat; and the Philippine Coast Guard. Composed of marine biologists, Therma Visayas team members, and volunteers, the Scubasureros have explored submerged coastal areas since 2022, observing marine ecosystems and leading underwater clean-up efforts. Dives at the nearby Bato Marine Sanctuary have resulted in close to two tons of plastic waste amassed.

Between 2017 to 2023, AboitizPower contributed to SDG 14 (Life Below Water) through 246 coastal and river cleanup activities, resulting in 162,847 kilograms of waste collected.

SDG 15: Life On Land

AboitizPower also promotes biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability in land. From 2017 to 2023 alone, the Company planted over 2.5 million trees in 6,127 hectares. In 2024, AboitizPower’s business units across the country rode on this momentum, working with local communities and stakeholders to further scale its carbon sequestration activities, while also bringing about livelihood and upskilling programs.

In Davao City, Therma South, Inc., an AboitizPower thermal power plant, completed its years-long Carbon Sink Management Program of planting one million trees in the Marilog District, including areas covering the ancestral domains of indigenous peoples (IP). Together with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. and IP project partners, the program planted a variety of endemic, fruit-bearing, and high-value trees.

A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases, helping lower the amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Since 2015, the program has collaborated with more than 500 farmers and IPs, resulting in the restoration and rehabilitation of over 845 hectares of their ancestral domain. Therma South and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation have also conducted various technical training sessions in farm planning; nursery establishment and seedling production; site preparation and plantation establishment; and plantation maintenance and monitoring.

Meanwhile in Cebu, AboitizPower generation company Therma Visayas also hit its 10-year Carbon Sink Management Program goal, recording a million trees planted in December 2024. This covered 10 different cities and municipalities in Cebu Province. Therma Visayas also teamed up with the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation and more than 400 tree farm partners to plant and nurture the planted native tree seedlings, with the latter also doing the seedling production.

Since the program began in 2017, partner farmers earn a livelihood from payments for their seedlings and maintenance services, as well as added income opportunities from the produce of fruit-bearing and high-value trees like Kakaw, Coffee, Guyabano, Rambutan, Lanzones, and Avocado. They have also benefited from orientation and training programs, as well as some technical assistance to ensure the sustainability of the carbon sink.

Likewise, AboitizPower distribution utility Visayan Electric Company, Inc., together with the Aboitiz Group and other partners, adopted 150 hectares of the Buhisan Watershed Forest Reserve for rehabilitation, protection, and conservation. The reserve is part of the Central Cebu Protected Landscape and provides water to Cebu City. The majority of the adopted land area has already been populated with Narra, Taloto, Mango, Jackfruit, and other trees, with local residents serving as its frontline caretakers and gardeners.

At the same time, AP Renewables Inc. (APRI), an AboitizPower geothermal energy producer, also adopted a 10-hectare forest in Sitio Panal, Tiwi, Albay and another 10 hectares in Mount Makiling — both areas within its host community. Together with the National Power Corporation, non-governmental organizations, and the local community, APRI planted Narra seedlings and some fruit-bearing trees to reforest and rehabilitate the adopted areas. By 2025, the goal is to achieve an 80% survival rate of the over 24,000 seedlings planted.

AP Renewable Energy Corporation (APREC), a wholly-owned subsidiary, also donated 5,000 fruit bearing saplings to the Preda Foundation, Inc., a non-government organization, in support of its annual tree planting project for the Aeta communities in the Zambales mountains. Once grown in their ancestral lands, the trees, which include Calamansi, Rambutan, and Lanzones, will contribute to soil erosion control, with its fruits being a viable source of added income.

From seas to trees, AboitizPower recognizes the importance of harmonizing industrial development and environmental preservation, underlining the ongoing efforts that make it a consistent reality. It believes that honoring such responsibilities, while also elevating the host community, are integral to AboitizPower’s operations and its purpose of Transforming Energy for a Better World.