(L-R): VITRO REIT Inc. Chief Commercial Officer Gary F. Ignacio; VITRO REIT Inc. President and CEO Victor S. Genuino; MGEN & PLDT Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan; MGEN President and CEO Emmanuel V. Rubio; and MGEN Project Development and Execution Head Ashvind Gobinathan.
Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGEN) and VITRO REIT, Inc. (VITRO), a subsidiary of ePLDT within the PLDT Group, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore the joint development of a sustainable, power-enabled digital infrastructure proposition in the Philippines.
The collaboration brings together MGEN’s expertise in power generation and supply, including renewable energy, and VITRO’s capabilities in data center development, operations, connectivity, and engagement with hyperscalers and other potential locators.
The partnership comes as data centers face increasing power requirements driven by cloud computing, artificial intelligence, digital services, and other high-density computing workloads.
Studying power and data center integration
Under the MOU, MGEN and VITRO will conduct technical and commercial feasibility studies covering potential sites, power generation capacity, renewable energy resources, connectivity requirements, data center specifications, and commercial structures.
MGEN will identify potential locations where data centers could be developed alongside power generation facilities and evaluate possible power supply arrangements.
VITRO will lead studies related to data center design, site requirements, connectivity planning, and engagement with prospective hyperscalers and other locators.
“This collaboration reflects the growing convergence between the energy and digital infrastructure sectors,” said Emmanuel V. Rubio, MGEN President and CEO.
“Power is increasingly becoming a critical factor in where and how data centers are developed. By bringing together our respective capabilities, we can explore solutions on how reliable, cost-competitive, and sustainable power can be integrated into the development of digital infrastructure,” Rubio added.
Energy becomes a key factor for digital infrastructure
The partnership reflects the growing relationship between electricity infrastructure and the expansion of the data center industry.
Modern data centers require substantial and reliable power supplies to operate servers, cooling systems, networking equipment, and other infrastructure. The emergence of AI and high-density computing is also increasing the importance of power availability when evaluating potential data center locations.
Victor S. Genuino, President and CEO of VITRO REIT, Inc., said the collaboration could provide prospective data center locators with a more integrated infrastructure proposition.
“Improving the cost and reliability of power is one of the key objectives of this collaboration, as energy remains a decisive factor in attracting hyperscale and AI investments to the country,” Genuino said.
VITRO, he added, aims to work with the energy sector to support the availability of stable, sustainable, and affordable energy for digital infrastructure.
Supporting the Philippines’ digital infrastructure
The feasibility study will examine how power generation, renewable energy, connectivity, and data center infrastructure can be considered together during site selection and development.
For the Philippines, the initiative could help address infrastructure requirements associated with the continued growth of cloud services, hyperscale facilities, AI workloads, and other digital technologies.
The MOU establishes a framework for MGEN and VITRO to evaluate potential opportunities before determining specific projects or commercial structures.
