Nearly 200 Jollibee Group stores switch to clean power

First Gen tapped to supply geothermal energy

MANILA, Philippines — The Jollibee Group has tapped First Gen Corp. to power its 189 company-owned fast-food stores in the Philippines with geothermal energy.

The deal covers about 40 percent of the group’s company-owned outlets nationwide, including stores operating under the Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking, Red Ribbon, Burger King and Panda Express brands.

The electricity supply will be sourced from First Gen’s geothermal power facilities in Ormoc City and Kananga town in Leyte.

First Gen chief customer engagement officer Carlo Vega said the partnership would help the Jollibee Group manage volatile power costs while reducing carbon emissions from its operations.

The agreement was made possible through the government’s retail aggregation program (RAP), which allows small electricity users to pool their demand to meet the minimum threshold for directly negotiating contracts with energy suppliers.

In the retail electricity market, consumers with a monthly peak demand of at least 100 kilowatts can choose their preferred supplier. Through RAP, smaller businesses and even households can now also enjoy this “power of choice.”

“By consolidating eligible stores and improving electricity sourcing, we are demonstrating a practical approach that supports operational efficiency while advancing more sustainable business practices,” said Bong Filart, network development head at Jollibee Group–Philippines.

“We plan to build on the experience and learnings from this initial phase and expand RAP to more eligible stores nationwide, reinforcing our commitment to environmental responsibility and long-term sustainability,” he added.

The homegrown Filipino fast-food giant first tapped First Gen in 2023 to install 17,000 solar panels with a combined capacity of more than nine megawatts at Jollibee’s commissaries and distribution sites in Parañaque and Laguna.

Earlier this year, Jollibee opened its Danao commissary in Cebu, which sources part of its electricity requirements from rooftop solar panels installed and operated by First Gen.

Jollibee’s largest production facility in the Visayas-Mindanao region, the Cebu commissary also gets power from First Gen’s geothermal facilities in Bicol.

As one of the world’s fastest-growing restaurant companies, the Jollibee Group manages and operates 19 brands with more than 10,000 stores and cafés across 33 countries.

First Gen, meanwhile, is one of the country’s largest renewable energy producers, operating a portfolio of 31 geothermal, wind, solar and hydropower plants.