MANILA, Philippines — Energy Development Corp. (EDC), the renewable energy (RE) arm of Lopez-led First Gen Corp., has switched on its 28.9-megawatt (MW) geothermal plant, valued at around P7 billion, in Manito, Albay.
Certified as an energy project of national significance, the Palayan Binary Geothermal Power Plant (PBGPP) is part of the expansion of the existing 140-MW Bacon-Manito (BacMan) facility, operated by EDC unit BacMan Geothermal Inc.
“This project is our additional contribution to that much-needed baseload (RE) that is very much in line with the (Department of Energy’s) goal of expanding RE use in the country,” EDC president and COO Jerome Cainglet said during the project’s inauguration.
The construction of the PBGPP started in late 2021 and was successfully synchronized with the Luzon grid earlier this year, with gross and net annual generation projected at 253,000 MW-hours (MWh) and 219,800 MWh, respectively.
The new project will harness the thermal energy of brine, a by-product from EDC’s 120-MW Palayan Bayan 1 flash geothermal facility, to produce electricity without the need for additional steam.
In a pre-recorded video message, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla welcomed the launch of the PBGPP, highlighting that every MW of additional power that enters the grid is “crucial.”
“Every additional (MW) of clean (RE) that goes online is a vital contribution to our country’s decarbonization goals, as the Palayan Bayan binary plant is estimated to reduce atmospheric emissions by as much as 72,200 tons per year,” Lotilla said.
PBGPP is one of the four geothermal power plants EDC is planning to bring into commercial operation by the end of the year.
The 5.6-MW geothermal plant in Bago City, Negros Occidental, will be operationalized within the third quarter, while the 20-MW Tanawon plant in BacMan and the 28-MW Mahanagdong plant in Leyte will commence operations by the fourth quarter.
The company is investing around P24 billion for these four projects with a combined capacity of 82.6 MW, the funding of which would be sourced from EDC’s P60-billion programmed spending in 2023.
EDC’s portfolio includes over 1,464.5 MW of total installed capacity, which accounts for almost 20 percent of the country’s total installed RE capacity. Its 1,169.85-MW geothermal portfolio comprises 80 percent of the Philippines’ total installed geothermal capacity.
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