SunScout Signs Deal for 25 MW Philippine Solar-Plus-Storage Project
SunScout has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the 25 MWp AKELCO solar-plus-storage project on Panay Island in the Philippines. The planned facility includes a 13 MW / 26.7 MWh battery and a 20-year fixed-price power supply agreement with Aklan Electric Cooperative.
Published · 4 min read
SunScout Holding Limited announced August 31 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the AKELCO solar-plus-storage project on Panay Island in the Philippines, moving its first project under an 87.5 MWp development partnership with Alta Renewables into a binding transaction. The development matters because it pairs utility-scale solar with battery storage under a long-term contracted power arrangement with a local electric cooperative.
The planned project combines 25 MWp of DC solar generation, 10 MWac of export capacity and an approximately 13 MW / 26.7 MWh battery energy storage system. According to SunScout’s August 31 announcement, the plant is expected to operate under a 20-year fixed-price power supply agreement with Aklan Electric Cooperative at PHP 6.035 per kWh.
SunScout will acquire the project company
The transaction calls for SunScout to acquire 100% of Anaya 1 Power Corporation, the company that owns the project, for US$2.5 million.
The purchase price is structured around development milestones. SunScout said 80% is payable when the project reaches Ready-to-Build status, while the remaining 20% is tied to provisional approval of the power supply agreement by the Philippine Energy Regulatory Commission.
Ready-to-Build status is targeted for September 2026, but closing remains subject to the RTB certification, customary closing conditions and board approval.
That distinction is important because the announcement represents a definitive acquisition agreement rather than a completed acquisition or operating power plant.
The battery provides more than two hours of storage
The planned battery is rated at approximately 13 MWac and 26.7 MWh. At full rated output, that represents a little more than two hours of nominal storage duration.
The battery will operate alongside the project’s 25 MWp solar array rather than as a standalone storage facility. Solar-plus-storage projects can shift part of daytime solar production into later periods, smooth plant output and improve the ability of renewable generation to meet contracted delivery requirements.
Microgrid Media recently covered another public-sector example of this model through Ventura County’s completed solar-and-storage project, where batteries are used alongside on-site solar to shift generation and reduce reliance on grid purchases.
The Philippine project is considerably different in scale and commercial structure, however, because it is being developed as a power-generation asset supplying an electric cooperative under a long-term power contract.
A 20-year power agreement underpins the project
SunScout said Aklan Electric Cooperative will purchase electricity from the plant under a 20-year fixed-price power supply agreement.
The developer projects average annual revenue of approximately US$3.6 million and average annual free cash flow of about US$1.2 million once the project is operating. Those figures are company forecasts and depend on successful construction, regulatory approval, commissioning and future plant performance.
SunScout separately expects approximately US$25 million in construction-phase revenue because it plans to fund the plant and act as engineering, procurement and construction contractor.
Independent market coverage from StockTitan also summarized the transaction terms, including the US$2.5 million acquisition price, battery specifications and milestone-linked closing structure.
The deal is the first binding project under a larger Philippine portfolio
SunScout and Alta Renewables announced an earlier memorandum of understanding on August 14 covering four Philippine solar-plus-storage projects totaling 87.5 MWp.
Under that initial portfolio framework, SunScout planned to fund, own and operate the projects while Alta Renewables remained involved in development and operations.
AKELCO is the first project from that framework to reach a definitive project agreement. SunScout said similar agreements for the remaining three projects in Luzon and the Visayas are expected to follow, although those transactions have not yet been completed.
Alta Renewables retains an investment option
Alta Renewables will remain involved as the local operations and maintenance partner and holds an option to acquire as much as 33% of the AKELCO project company between the start of construction and commercial operation.
That structure allows SunScout to control and finance the project while retaining a local partner with development and operational involvement.
The arrangement also illustrates the growing role of batteries in renewable project development across island and constrained-grid markets, where energy storage can make solar generation more dispatchable and potentially reduce dependence on imported fuel-based generation.
What happens next
The immediate milestone for the AKELCO solar-plus-storage project is achieving Ready-to-Build status, which SunScout currently targets for September.
The Energy Regulatory Commission’s treatment of the long-term power agreement will also be important because a portion of the purchase consideration is tied to provisional PSA approval.
Only after the remaining transaction, regulatory and construction milestones are completed can the project move from an advanced-stage development asset into an operating solar-and-storage facility.
