PHILIPPINES

Philippine reliance on coal has risen dramatically since 2000, with operating capacity nearly quadrupling from 3,400 megawatts (MW) to 12,642 MW as of December 2025. In October 2020, a moratorium on new coal plants that were not already in the permitting pipeline resulted in a series of coal plant cancellations by major energy companies and brought to a close a period of rapid growth. It was later specified that the moratorium would not affect coal projects that were already included in the Department of Energy’s list of initiated power projects prior to October 2020. Progress in the Philippines' coal plant pipeline slowed following the moratorium's announcement, but coal project development has started to rebound.

The development of new plants waned due to a dearth of financing, but 3,403 MW of capacity still remains in development and construction. Several projects have been granted exemption from the moratorium by the government since 2020. In 2024 and 2025, 600 MW of new coal-fired capacity was commissioned. In April 2021, the Philippines pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 75% by 2030, largely contingent on the availability of external financing. While the Philippines is not a member nation of the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), many of its subnational governments have individually committed to coal phaseout dates via the Alliance: Guimaras, Ilocos Norte, Masbate, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Ormoc.