CEBU-BASED listed firm Vivant Corp. is pushing ahead with plans to invest as much as P67 billion in energy and water infrastructure projects through 2030 despite rising interest rates, inflation pressures, foreign exchange volatility, and slowing economic growth.
Company executives on Thursday, May 21, 2026, said the investment pipeline reflects continued confidence in long-term infrastructure demand, particularly in renewable energy, desalination, and off-grid utility services, even as they acknowledged a more uncertain macroeconomic environment.
“We’re still quite bullish,” Vivant Corp. president Emil Andre Garcia said during a media briefing, while noting that the firm remains “cautiously optimistic” given ongoing economic volatility.
Vivant chief financial officer Minuel Carmela Franco said the P67 billion capital expenditure plan covers projects until 2030, with financing expected to come from internal equity and borrowings.
“We’re going to do debt capital raising for Vivant Energy Corp., but we’re also studying the possibility of doing a follow-on offering,” Franco said. “Of course, you have to consider the market conditions.”
Garcia said 80 percent of the power-sector allocation will go to renewable energy projects, while the balance will support conventional power and grid stability investments.
He said the company is pursuing between 10 and 15 renewable energy projects with capacities ranging from 30 megawatts (MW) to as much as 300 MW per site.
The firm expects heavier investments to begin in 2027 and 2028, assuming macroeconomic conditions stabilize.
“Forex is an issue. Gross domestic product growth has slowed down,” Emil said. “But we feel that power is such a commodity that the country really needs.”
Executives argued that the Philippines still requires substantial investments in generation, transmission, and storage facilities as aging baseload plants and rising electricity demand continue to pressure the grid.
The company also maintained its target of reaching a 30-percent renewable energy mix by 2030 and developing around 1,000 MW of projects, although executives acknowledged that the pipeline could still be reviewed depending on market conditions over the next two years.
“We’re still full steam ahead,” Vivant chief executive officer Arlo Sarmiento said, adding that the company remains open to reassessing targets if input costs and economic conditions worsen.
Water business
Beyond energy, Vivant is also ramping up investments in the water sector, which Sarmiento described as “largely neglected” despite growing supply and infrastructure challenges.
Atty. Jess Anthony Garcia, Vivant’s executive vice president for infrastructure, said the company plans to invest roughly P7 billion in water projects through 2030, primarily focused on desalination, wastewater treatment, and water distribution systems in areas where it already has a power presence.
Much of the planned spending will support the expansion of its desalination business in Cebu, including the Cordova desalination plant, which according to Jess Anthony, said is already operationally ready but awaiting network integration with the Metropolitan Cebu Water District.
The facility currently has a capacity of 20 million liters per day (MLD), expandable to up to 50 MLD. The Cordova desalination plant is the country’s first utility-scale seawater desalination facility, operated by Isla Mactan Cordova Corp.
Sarmiento said the project is particularly timely as the country braces for a potentially severe El Niño episode.
“We have one of the most severe El Niños coming,” Sarmiento said, adding that the desalination facility is intended to provide “water security” and ensure stable supply regardless of weather conditions.
Vivant is also expanding its integrated “power-plus-water” strategy in underserved island communities, including Bantayan, Palawan, and Coron, where the company already operates power facilities and sees growing demand for utility infrastructure.
