DOE Fines Leviste’s Solar Firm ₱24 Billion for Undelivered Power Projects
- January 19, 2026
The Department of Energy (DOE) has imposed a ₱24-billion penalty on Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. (SPPHI), the company founded by Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste, for failing to deliver power output committed under more than 30 government contracts.
Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said the DOE had terminated 163 projects awarded to various companies for their failure to follow agreed production timelines. More than half of these, or about 64 percent, were handled by SPPHI, which Leviste established in 2013 when he was 20 years old.
Projects For Termination
The canceled contracts under Leviste’s firm include 33 projects secured through the Green Energy Auction Program (GEAP), as well as other service agreements signed between 2014 and 2019. GEAP is a government initiative designed to accelerate renewable energy development and increase the share of clean energy in the country’s power mix from 22 percent to 35 percent by 2030.
According to the DOE, most of SPPHI’s terminated projects were located in Luzon and were expected to generate more than 11,000 megawatts (MW) in total.
Garin said that SPPHI has yet to give any response or petition to extend the compliance period or reconsider the sanction. This, despite the DOE’s consistent attempt to communicate with the company.
“To be able to terminate a contract, we have to go through the whole due process,” she said in a briefing on Tuesday. “What we want are legitimate investors, that’s why we’re cleaning it out.”
Wider Crackdown
The DOE’s action against SPPHI is part of a broader enforcement drive against noncompliant developers, or those who committed to build power plants but failed to meet their construction timelines. Garin said the department has been “cleaning it out” over the past two years to ensure that awarded contracts go to firms capable of actual delivery.
Between 2024 and 2025, the DOE terminated a total of 163 contracts covering solar, biomass, geothermal, hydro, and wind projects. The scrapped deals involved nearly 18,000 MW in expected capacity, with solar projects accounting for 12,271 MW.
Garin stressed that the DOE’s decision was not targeted at Leviste or his company. “It so happened that the projects were supposed to be delivered by December 2025,” the agency said. DOE officials added that the rest of the terminated contracts were held by “smaller players.”
Performance Bonds Due
Given the scope of failed projects, SPPHI faces a total of about ₱24 billion in obligations, including performance bonds and other financial requirements. Around ₱14 billion of that amount represents performance bonds required under the GEAP.
Garin said the DOE was preparing “everything within the first quarter” to compel the company to pay.
The department has not yet posted the list of terminated contracts on its website as of Tuesday afternoon. It also clarified that SP New Energy Corp. (SPNEC), now under the group of tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan, is not part of the list, while Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPBC) has no existing developments.
No Comment from Leviste
Leviste has yet to respond to requests for comment. The first-term congressman, who represents Batangas’ first district, recently made headlines for exposing an alleged bribery attempt by a district engineer and for obtaining public works budget files from the late Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.
Last week, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Leviste allegedly sold his solar energy franchise to Pangilinan without congressional approval, a transaction that is now under investigation. Pangilinan’s Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) said SPNEC is “a separate and distinct corporate entity from Solar Para Sa Bayan Corp. (SPBC).” SPBC holds a congressional franchise under Republic Act No. 11357 to build and operate solar-powered microgrids in remote areas.
Energy Targets
The DOE’s enforcement efforts align with the Marcos administration’s goal of boosting renewable energy generation. Under GEAP, the government seeks to raise renewable energy’s share in the national mix to 35 percent by 2030.
Officials said the agency’s current review ensures that projects moving forward will be led by “legitimate investors” capable of meeting deadlines and delivering committed capacity.
Source:
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2167583/levistes-solar-energy-firm-slapped-with-p24-b-fine
https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/doe-chief-garin-confident-in-35-re-target-by-2030
