Aboitiz Power pursues expansion of TVI coal project

By Alena Mae S. Flores – February 28, 2024, 8:10 pm
from manilastandard.net

Aboitiz Power Corp. will award next month the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for subsidiary Therma Visayas Inc.’s planned coal expansion in Toledo, Cebu.

“We are still looking at the EPC. We are going to get binding bids in the next two weeks from two suppliers for TVI 3,” Aboitiz Power president and chief executive Emmanuel Rubio said.

He said they were considering both 130-MW and 150-MW units, depending on the availability, “because not many are making coal plants.”

Rubio said the existing TVI 1 and 2 are GE units with a capacity of 150 MW each.

“We are looking at delivering this unit by 2027. Once we receive binding offers from EPC, we will go to our board for approval. We have the certification from DOE [Department of Energy] allowing this to be built and recognizing the need for self-sufficiency in Cebu and the endorsement from the government and Gov. Gwen [Garcia],” he said.

He said TV 3 is part of the original design of TVI which secured permits from the DOE and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for the environmental compliance certificate.

“TVI 3 already has that permit because it is part of the original design of the TVI. We already have an ECC,” Rubio said.

“We asked the DoE for a certification and we got that. So now, we are developing that. We are looking for financing, and it looks like we can get financing. We presented to the provincial government. It was welcomed by the governor because of the Panay issue. They are welcoming generation on the island,” he said.

Rubio said Cebu’s power demand has been increasing and would need about 180 MW to 210 MW of new capacity.

The power supply is also expensive because oil-fired power plants are forced to run amid tight supply.

The DOE earlier endorsed TVI’s 150-MW expansion to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines for a system impact study.