UAE firms keen on PH energy, data center ventures
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) brought home investment prospects from two high-potential sectors following its visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE): renewable energy and digital infrastructure.
Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said Damac Digital, a global data center developer, and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co., or Masdar, a major clean energy firm, have expressed interest in establishing operations in the Philippines.
During the trip, President Marcos and Roque met with Masdar CEO Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi and Fatima Al Suwaidi, Masdar’s head of development and investment for Asia-Pacific, to discuss renewable energy partnerships.
Roque said Masdar was planning to build a “large-scale renewable energy development project” in the Philippines. The firm has narrowed its options to three sites in Bohol.
More partners
She added that Masdar was open to either financing, managing or operating the project, adding that the UAE-based company was still seeking additional partners before committing to investing.
“They’re flexible with anything, as long as they can enter—because the market in the Philippines is so huge, and renewable energy is really just getting started [here],” Roque told reporters.
These discussions build on the $15-billion deal secured in early 2025, under which Masdar committed to develop up to 1 gigawatt (GW) of clean energy capacity in the Philippines by 2030, with a possible expansion of up to 10 GW.
The renewable energy projects are expected to focus largely on solar and wind technology.
Another potential investor engaged by the Philippine delegation is Damac Digital founder and chair Hussein Sajwani.
Roque said the Dubai-based firm was considering Laguna as the site for its planned 250-megawatt data center.
If this is realized, the Marcos government is touting the project as the largest data center in the country.
The facility will also be only the third data center that Damac will build in Asia, following projects in Thailand and Indonesia. It will be the fourth outside the Middle East, in addition to its existing site in Spain.
The DTI said the project remained in the incorporation stage.
These investment prospects emerged during the Philippine delegations’ visit to the UAE from Jan. 12 to Jan.14, during which two agreements were signed: the Philippines-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement and a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation.
