DOE still ‘undecided’ on pleaded approval for Meralco’s Atimonan coal plant

The Department of Energy (DOE) is still undecided if it will grant the application for certification that will greenlight the planned 1,200-megawatt Atimonan coal-fired power project of Meralco PowerGen Corporation (MGen), the power investment arm of utility giant Manila Electric Company.

When asked by the media, Energy Secretary Raphael P. M. Lotilla said “there is that and we will make our decisions and announce them as we make them.”

The energy chief has not hinted at this point if they are inclined to approve the certification plea for the Atimonan venture; although it is apparent that the project is excluded in the coal moratorium that was enforced in 2020.

The energy department has always been forthright is stating that coal plant developments will continue until 2028 or within the reign of the Marcos administration, because there were already committed projects prior to the enforcement of the moratorium.

The first project that was given go-signal in the revival of coal plant developments in the country had been the 150MW expansion of the Therma Visayas Inc. facility of Aboitiz Power Corporation.

Apart from Aboitiz Power and Meralco, Consunji-led firm Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) is also expected to rejoin the league of coal plant developments, as the technology is still depended upon to solve the country’s tight power supply dilemmas – primarily for Luzon and Visayas grids.

For the Atimonan project, in particular, MGen already penciled in $3.0 billion worth of investments that shall be funneled into its development; and the facility will be equipped with ultra-super critical (USC) boiler technology.