North Maharlika Energy Corp. (NMEC) plans to build a 12-megawatt waste-to-energy (WTE) power plant in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan, at a cost of up to ₱3.2 billion. The facility will turn municipal solid waste into electricity for the Luzon grid.
The project requires total capital spending of ₱2.5 billion to ₱3.2 billion and is designed to run for 25 years. It will be built in Barangay Nancayasan and will process more than 650 metric tons of municipal solid waste and refuse-derived fuel per day. The plant is intended to supply baseload power, meaning electricity that is available around the clock rather than only at certain times of the day.
NMEC has started consultations with stakeholders as it works to obtain environmental clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Pre-construction work, including land clearing, site grading, perimeter fencing and preliminary utility work, is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2027 and continue through the third quarter.
Main civil works and construction of the facility are set to start in the fourth quarter of 2027 and finish by late 2028. Trial firing, emissions testing and synchronization with the national grid are planned for the fourth quarter of 2029. NMEC is targeting full commercial operations by the first quarter of 2030.
Once running, the plant is expected to improve the reliability of local power supply. By diverting municipal waste from landfills, it is also projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.
The company is competing in the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Green Energy Auction program, which offers long-term off-take contracts to renewable energy developers. The DOE has set aside a 400-megawatt tender for waste-to-energy capacity, and contract awards are expected by November 5.
The DOE is also refining technical and regulatory guidelines for combustion-based municipal waste projects. The agency recently held its third joint coordination committee meeting with Japanese delegates to set clearer standards for thermal waste-to-energy facilities nationwide.
For Pangasinan, the project would add a power source that runs on locally collected waste. Environmental clearance from the DENR and the outcome of the DOE auction are the next steps before construction can proceed.
