Diesel power plants dominate DoE’s endorsements to ERC

By Marielle C. Lucenio – March 13, 2022 | 7:44 pm
from Business World

POWER PLANTS endorsed to the regulatory commission for five-year operating permits included 12 diesel-powered facilities out of 17 overall, according to a list posted to the Department of Energy’s (DoE) website five years.

Of the other plants endorsed to the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), three are coal-fired, one hydro-powered and one using biomass as feedstock.

If issued a Certificate of Compliance by the ERC, the 17 plants are expected to add 1,495.41 megawatts (MW) of capacity to the power grid.

Mariveles Power Generation Corp.’s Mariveles Coal-fired Power Plant and SMC Consolidated Power Corp.’s new Kimay Circulating Fluidized Bed Coal-fired Power Plant had the largest capacity of any plant on the list at 600.1 MW each.

The DoE endorsement paves the way for the grid operator to conduct a system impact study, which will generate a finding that a plant is suitable for connection to the power grid.

Eleven of projects are being developed by the National Power Corp. and the remaining six by South Luzon Thermal Energy Corp.; DMCI Power Corp., Mindoro Grid Corp., SMC Consolidated Power Corp., Mariveles Power Corp.; and Cleangreen Energy Corp.

The DoE has said that the energy grid is expected to have 7,910.96 MW of additional capacity by 2027, with coal-fired plants accounting for 46.68%, natural gas 38.71%, renewable energy 11.39%, and oil-based facilities 6.67%.