EDC’s Mt. Apo plant back in operation

By Myrna M. Velasco – November 16, 2019, 10:00 PM
from Manila Bulletin

The Mount Apo geothermal power facility of Lopez-led Energy Development Corporation (EDC) had been back on-line and to normal operations after it was disrupted by the strike of earthquake last month.

The second generating unit with 54.24-megawatt capacity had been synchronized to the grid last November 12; while unit 1 with the same capacity had been back to service on Thursday (November 14).

The company announced that “the timely return-to-service of both power plants was made possible by the round-the-clock work of EDC as well as its contractors,” and also on its collaboration with system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

The strike of natural calamities would frequently cause forced outages of power facilities – and their quick re-synchronization to the grid would also often gauge the resiliency of such vital infrastructure assets. Romy Kee, head of EDC’s Mount Apo geothermal power project, emphasized that the plant’s return to operations in a span of time that was less than anticipated had been an outcome of concerted effort – including their host communities in Barangay Ilomavis.

The Mount Apo plant that has an aggregate capacity of 108.48MW is part of the geothermal business portfolio of EDC, the biggest player for this sector in the Philippines.

The facility is part of the bigger 1,457MW capacity that the company owns and operates across energy technologies ranging from geothermal, solar, wind and hydro facilities.