Leyte's geothermal power plants are in Ormoc and Kananga, and the Department of Energy (DOE) lists about 701 MW of installed capacity there as of 31 August 2026: Tongonan I (123 MW, Green Core Geothermal), the Unified Leyte plants (546.6 MW, Energy Development Corporation) and the Mahanagdong binary plant (31.3 MW, EDC) (DOE list of existing Visayas power plants, August 2026). That is more than double Leyte Island's peak demand of about 294 MW (NGCP Transmission Development Plan 2024–2050). So why is BILECO's rate ₱18.93/kWh, the highest of the 107 utilities PRESYO-PH tracks in September 2026 (PRESYO-PH)? Mostly because the power from these plants is sold into the Visayas grid and the spot market, and most co-ops around here don't have a supply contract with them.
Sa madaling salita (the short version):
- Built isn't the same as running. EDC says its Leyte plants produced below 400 MW in 2025 because of outages and steam problems. Its target for 2026 is 560 MW.
- Most of the power leaves the island. Cables to Luzon (440 MW) and Cebu (about 400 MW) carry Leyte's surplus to the rest of the grid.
- BILECO and LEYECO IV don't buy from Tongonan. Their bills show coal plants (Therma Luzon, Sual, KEPCO SPC) plus spot-market (WESM) power. LEYECO II and III do buy from Green Core Geothermal.
- Even a geothermal contract isn't a guarantee of cheap power. In September 2026, LEYECO II's generation rate (₱9.82) was higher than BILECO's (₱9.50). LEYECO II's bill was lower because its other charges were lower.
- Upgrades are planned, but they're years away. EDC's big Leyte upgrade runs to 2029, and nobody has promised it will lower your bill.
Last checked: 24 October 2026. October 2026 rates weren't out yet on PRESYO-PH, so this post uses September 2026 rates. BILECO's latest posted generation breakdown is for July 2026.
For what each line on your bill means, see our BILECO and LEYECO rates guide. For the bigger picture of why power costs so much in the Philippines, read bakit mahal ang kuryente.
Leyte's geothermal power plants at a glance
These are the grid-connected geothermal plants in Leyte on the DOE's August 2026 list. "Installed" is the nameplate size. "Dependable" is what the DOE counts on the plant to deliver.
Plant (DOE name) | Owner | Location | Installed | Dependable | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tongonan I | Green Core Geothermal Inc. (GCGI) | Brgy. Tongonan, Kananga | 123.0 MW | 115.4 MW | 3 |
Unified Leyte (Mahanagdong, Malitbog, Upper Mahiao and topping/bottoming cycle plants) | Energy Development Corporation (EDC) | Ormoc and Kananga | 546.6 MW | 490.1 MW | 13 |
Mahanagdong binary | EDC | Brgy. Tongonan, Ormoc | 31.3 MW | 28.5 MW | 1 |
Total (our sum) | 700.9 MW | 634.0 MW | 17 |
Source: DOE list of existing power plants, Visayas, as of 31 August 2026. Totals are our addition.
A few things to know about who's who:
- GCGI is part of EDC. EDC bought the Tongonan I plant from PSALM in 2009 through Green Core Geothermal. It's three 41 MW units running since 1983 (EDC, Green Core Geothermal).
- EDC is part of First Gen. It calls Leyte's steam field "the world's largest wet geothermal steamfield" (EDC Integrated Report 2025).
- Leyte is the Visayas' geothermal hub. The 700.9 MW in Leyte is about 74% of all geothermal capacity in the Visayas (942.8 MW) and about 17% of all Visayas grid capacity (4,138.1 MW), by our math from the same DOE list.
- The list changes. In February 2025 the DOE listed Unified Leyte at 610.2 MW with 18 units (DOE, February 2025).
Installed capacity vs what the plants actually produce
In its 2025 integrated report, EDC says its Leyte output fell below 400 MW in 2025. It lists long outages: Malitbog Unit 2 from July 2024 to November 2025, Tongonan Unit 3 in June–July 2025 and Tongonan Unit 1 from August 2025 to January 2026, plus problems with steam quality. Its target for 2026 is 560 MW, and about 700 MW by 2030 (EDC Integrated Report 2025).
So the real number isn't 700 MW. In 2025 it was closer to half of that.
Where Leyte's geothermal power goes
Even at 400 MW, Leyte makes more power than Leyte uses at its peak (about 294 MW, per NGCP). The surplus goes out through the grid:
Link | What it does | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
Leyte–Luzon HVDC (since 1998) | Sends power between the Visayas and Luzon, in either direction | 440 MW (an upgrade to 880 MW is planned for December 2032) |
Leyte–Cebu 230 kV submarine cable (1997 and 2005) | Feeds Cebu, the biggest load in the Visayas (peak about 1,220 MW) | About 400 MW |
Leyte–Bohol interconnection | Feeds Bohol | 90 MW |
Source: NGCP Transmission Development Plan 2024–2050, sections on the Visayas network and interconnections.
That's how the grid is meant to work: Leyte's surplus is shared with islands that rely more on coal. But when a big Leyte unit trips, the whole Visayas grid feels it. That's one reason red and yellow alerts hit us too (see our Visayas grid alert explainer).
Who actually buys Leyte's geothermal power?
A plant can sign a supply contract with a co-op, or sell on the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM), where co-ops buy at that hour's price.
Co-op | Main contracted suppliers | From Leyte geothermal? |
|---|---|---|
LEYECO II (Tacloban area) | Green Core Geothermal (EDC) | Yes, for about 15 years, per First Gen |
LEYECO III | Green Core Geothermal (EDC) | Yes, per First Gen |
LEYECO IV (Sept 2026) | Therma Luzon 37.77%, Sual Power 32.83%, KEPCO SPC 16.99%, WESM 14.92% | No contract |
BILECO (July 2026) | Therma Luzon 31%, Sual Power 20%, KEPCO SPC 20%, WESM 29% | No contract |
Sources: Vanguard, 11 July 2026 (First Gen on LEYECO II and III); LEYECO IV, September 2026 generation charges; BILECO, breakdown of generation charge, July 2026.
The three suppliers named on the BILECO and LEYECO IV bills all run coal plants. Therma Luzon runs Pagbilao in Quezon, Sual Power runs Sual in Pangasinan (DOE's August 2026 Luzon list), and KEPCO SPC runs a coal plant in Cebu (DOE Visayas list). Some WESM power will be geothermal, but on the spot market you pay the going hourly price, not a geothermal price.
Why no geothermal contract? According to First Gen, EDC couldn't join the Region 8 co-ops' (FRECOR-8) joint power auction in 2024. It says the rules capped future operations and maintenance costs at historical levels, and that doesn't work for geothermal fields that need new wells drilled. It says it's ready to supply more co-ops in future auctions (Vanguard). BILECO's own ERC filing says it has been buying from WESM since 26 August 2024, after its old 8 MW contract expired. The same filing describes the 190 MW Region 8 joint supply deal (BILECO ERC filing, Case 2024-165 RC).
The spot-market part is the expensive part
BILECO's July 2026 breakdown shows why WESM matters so much. The contracted coal power cost ₱5.41 to ₱6.13 per kWh. The WESM power cost ₱18.26 per kWh. WESM was only 29% of the kWh BILECO bought, but about 57% of the generation cost (₱39.5 million of ₱69.2 million, our math from BILECO's sheet).
Why Leyte and Biliran bills are still high
Here are the September 2026 residential rates from PRESYO-PH, which splits each rate into the generation charge and everything else (transmission, system loss, distribution, taxes and other charges).
Co-op | Total ₱/kWh | Generation ₱/kWh | Everything else ₱/kWh | Example: 200 kWh month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
BILECO | ₱18.93 | ₱9.50 | ₱9.43 | ₱3,786 |
LEYECO IV | ₱16.97 | ₱9.31 | ₱7.66 | ₱3,394 |
LEYECO V | ₱16.38 | ₱9.01 | ₱7.37 | ₱3,276 |
LEYECO II | ₱14.05 | ₱9.82 | ₱4.23 | ₱2,810 |
National median | ₱12.82 | ₱2,564 |
Source: PRESYO-PH national table, September 2026 (ICSC). The 200 kWh column is our example only: 200 × the total rate, with no fixed charges, discounts or rounding.
Two things jump out:
- Generation charges are about the same everywhere, ₱9 to ₱10. LEYECO II, the co-op with the geothermal contract, actually had the highest generation rate of the four in September. Contract prices, WESM prices and fuel costs all move this number. Being near Tongonan doesn't fix it.
- The big gap is "everything else". BILECO's other charges (₱9.43) are more than double LEYECO II's (₱4.23). Those cover the grid, system losses, the co-op's own distribution costs and taxes. FRECOR-8 also says Region 8 co-ops were billed more than ₱572 million in WESM line loss and congestion costs for July 2026 alone, which is passed through to consumers (Vanguard).
So, honestly: Leyte's geothermal plants help keep the Visayas grid supplied, but they don't make your BILECO or LEYECO IV bill cheap on their own. For month-by-month numbers, see our BILECO rate tracker, the LEYECO II tracker and the LEYECO IV and V tracker.
What's planned for Leyte geothermal
- EDC's ₱100 billion Leyte upgrade. BusinessWorld reported in January 2026 that EDC plans to take its Tongonan geothermal project from 637.21 MW to 967.224 MW by 2029. The plan includes a new 450 MW Upper Mahiao plant to replace the old 136.5 MW one, up to 172 wells, and a battery upgrade from 10 to 30 MW (BusinessWorld, 12 January 2026; Philstar). That's a plan, not a finished plant.
- Mahanagdong brine optimization. A 28 MW project is on the DOE's committed list (DOE Visayas committed projects).
- Biliran geothermal. The same DOE list shows the 2 MW Biliran Geothermal Phase 1 in Caibiran, embedded with BILECO, as "on shutdown due to technical issues" with a show-cause order. Phases 2 and 3 (6 MW and 42 MW) have no target date yet.
More geothermal in Leyte would add supply to the grid. Whether it lowers your bill depends on who signs contracts for it and at what price, and that hasn't been decided.
What this means for your household
In Biliran and LEYECO IV areas you're paying for coal contracts and spot-market power, and you can't choose your supplier. What you can control is how many kWh you buy. Every kWh your own panels make at noon is one you don't buy at ₱16 to ₱19. Our rates guide shows how to read your bill line by line before you size anything.
FAQ
Where are the geothermal power plants in Leyte? In Ormoc City and Kananga, around Brgy. Tongonan. The DOE lists Tongonan I (Kananga), the Unified Leyte plants (Ormoc and Kananga) and the Mahanagdong binary plant (Ormoc).
Who owns the Tongonan geothermal power plant? Tongonan I is owned by Green Core Geothermal Inc., a unit of Energy Development Corporation (EDC), which is part of First Gen. EDC bought it from PSALM in 2009.
How much power does the Leyte geothermal plant produce? About 701 MW installed and 634 MW dependable on the DOE's August 2026 list. Actual output was lower: EDC says its Leyte plants produced below 400 MW in 2025 and targets 560 MW in 2026.
If Leyte has geothermal, why is BILECO's rate so high? BILECO doesn't have a geothermal contract. In July 2026 it bought from three coal plants plus WESM, and the WESM share was the expensive part. Its non-generation charges (₱9.43/kWh in September 2026) were also the highest in our table.
Will the new geothermal projects make electricity cheaper in Leyte? Nobody can promise that. The upgrades add supply by 2029 or later, but your rate depends on co-op contracts, WESM prices and other charges.
Solar Leyte is run by MACC Systems & Energy Solutions Inc., a solar installer in Naval, Biliran.
Tired of paying ₱16 to ₱19 per kWh? Get a free solar quote from MACC
Send us a photo of your latest BILECO or LEYECO bill and we'll show you the sizing and savings math, with no obligation.
- Call/Text: 0955 723 5093
- Email: official@macc-inc.com or benjie@macc-inc.com
- Website: www.macc-inc.com
- Request a quote online: solarleyte.com/quote
- Office: Brgy. Talustusan, Naval, Biliran 6543
Sources (all checked 24 October 2026)
- Plants and capacity: DOE, List of existing power plants, Visayas, as of 31 August 2026 (Tongonan I 123.0/115.4 MW; Unified Leyte 546.6/490.1 MW; Mahanagdong binary 31.3/28.5 MW; Visayas geothermal 942.8 MW; Visayas total 4,138.1 MW), from the DOE existing power plants page; DOE, Visayas grid as of February 2025 (Unified Leyte 610.2 MW, 18 units); DOE, Luzon list, August 2026 (Pagbilao and Sual coal plants); DOE, Visayas committed projects (Biliran Geothermal, Mahanagdong brine optimization)
- Owners and output: EDC, Green Core Geothermal; EDC, Integrated Report 2025, President's message (below 400 MW in 2025, 560 MW target for 2026, outage dates)
- Grid: NGCP, Transmission Development Plan 2024–2050 (Leyte peak 294 MW; Cebu peak 1,220 MW; Leyte–Luzon HVDC 440 MW; Leyte–Cebu about 400 MW; Leyte–Bohol 90 MW; bipolar upgrade December 2032)
- Supply contracts: Vanguard, 11 July 2026; LEYECO IV, September 2026 generation charges; BILECO, July 2026 generation charge breakdown (from the generation mix page); BILECO, ERC Case No. 2024-165 RC filing
- Rates: ICSC, PRESYO-PH national table (September 2026; October not yet out on 24 October)
- Upgrades: BusinessWorld, 12 January 2026; Philstar, 12 January 2026
- Our calculations: plant totals, Leyte's share of Visayas capacity, BILECO's WESM cost share and the 200 kWh examples are Solar Leyte math from the sources above.