340MW more for Visayas grid in ’18
The Therma Visayas Energy Project in Toledo City showcases AboitizPower’s second coal dome, with the first one located in Davao City. The coal dome is a safe and modern way to store coal.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/THERMA VISAYAS INC.
ABOITIZPOWER’S TOLEDO PLANT 90% done
The Visayas area could expect additional power supply this year.
AboitizPower is set to open its Therma Visayas Energy Project (TVEP), a 340-Megawatt thermal power plant in Barangay Bato in Toledo City this year.
The power plant, which is owned by AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI), is one of four hydro and baseload plants to be opened by the firm this year in different parts of the country.
“The entry of these plants will significantly support the country’s energy reserves and will show that the Philippines is open for business and investments, said AboitizPower President and COO Antonio Moraza said in a press statement.
The firm earmarked around P41 billion for the project which began construction in April 2015.
As of January, AboitizPower officials said the baseload power plant project is already at 90 percent completion. It is expected to go online within the first half of 2018.
The plant consists of two 170-Megawatt steam turbine generator units and two circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers, which use coal to boil water and create high-pressure steam to generate electricity.
The Department of Energy (DOE) Visayas Field Office (VFO) welcomed the news.
Normalize power
In an interview with Cebu Daily News, newly designated DOE-VFO officer in charge (OIC) Engineer Saul Gonzales said that the additional power would help normalize power demands in the Visayas grid.
“Atong demand karon is igo-igo gyud (Right now, our demand is at breakeven). If there’s additional power plants coming in, that’s welcome because our economy relies on power. If there’s not enough power, we will have problems in our industries and our residential areas,” he said.
Gonzales pointed out though that power providers like AboitizPower should also coordinate with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to see to it that their transmission lines are capable of receiving additional capacity.
The DOE receives power supply-demand reports from the NGCP daily, which vary on certain days and times.
But based on general trends, Gonzales said that right now, existing capacity is just enough to meet daily demands.
“So if there’s additional supply, it means our power industry will be stable. This will lessen power interruptions and load drops. Usually, load drops come in when lines are being repaired or under maintenance,” he added.
Power outlook
In its Power Situation Outlook for yesterday, January 14, the NGCP posted in its website that in the Visayas, system capacity or supply available was at 1,925 megawatts in the morning, 1,930 megawatts in the afternoon, and 1,765 megawatts in the evening.
On the other hand, system peak or the demand was at 1,828 MW in the morning, 1,818 MW in the afternoon, and 1,795 MW in the evening.
Based on yesterday’s records, there was a recorded -30 MW in the gross reserves for Visayas yesterday evening. Negative reserves usually force distribution utilities to implement rotational power interruptions to meet demands.
Other plants
Aside from the TVEP in Cebu, AboitizPower is also set to go online with other plants in the country.
These include the recently completed construction of the 8.5-megawatt Maris Canal hydro project in Isabela which is in partnership with SN Power; its wholly-owned subsidiary Hedcor is also wrapping up construction of a 68.8-megawatt hydro plant in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
They are also completing their 400-megawatt Pagbilao 3 baseload power plant in Quezon.
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