EDC’s Mindanao plant starts delivery to Mindanao grid
By Myrna M. Velasco – April 27, 2022, 2:59 PM
from Manila Bulletin
The 3.6-megawatt binary expansion of the Mindanao geothermal power plant of Lopez-led Energy Development Corporation (EDC) is now delivering capacity into the grid, hence, reinforcing Mindanao’s portfolio on the renewable energy (RE) sphere.
The P1.9 billion Mindanao-3 (M3) expansion project shored up the geothermal facility’s generation and had built up its aggregate capacity to 106.6MW – from the original 103MW capacity for the first two units of the power plant.
According to EDC, the power plant expansion started construction early part of 2021 – and that was the height of the coronavirus pandemic, hence, the safety protocols needed for workers on-site had been strictly enforced and heightened. Yet despite that, the completion of the binary plant was still well-within timeframe.
“The facility will make use of existing brine from EDC’s 103-MW Mindanao 1 and 2 geothermal power facilities to generate additional energy without the need for additional drilling,” the project sponsor-firm noted.
The company explained that “heat from the brine will be used to generate electricity by the new power plant before it is re-injected back to the reservoir.”
EDC said the M3 generating facility was synchronized to the Mindanao grid on March 12 this year; and it subsequently passed grid compliance testing by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines on March 25.
“The project will not only contribute reliable power to the Mindanao region but will also avoid around 25,000 tonnes of equivalent carbon dioxide each year through the use of clean geothermal energy in lieu of coal,” it stressed.
As emphasized by EDC Deputy Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jerome H. Cainglet, “the M3 binary plant is part of EDC’s commitment to continuously power the Mindanao region’s growing economy with 100-percent clean energy to lessen its dependence on fossil fuels such as coal that have primarily caused our warming planet.”
He stated that “through our geothermal facilities here in Cotabato which now includes M3, we are able to fulfill our revitalized mission to forge collaborative pathways for a decarbonized and regenerative future in this part of our country.”
On the construction of the M3 generating unit, EDC indicated that it was able to provide 567 jobs during construction phase – and the workers tapped were mainly from nearby communities.
The host-communities of the facility will also reap additional benefits from the project, through their financial share from the energy sales, as decreed under the Energy Regulations 1-94 set forth by the Department of Energy.
