First Gen eyes capacity hike in 2 new power projects with efficient turbines

By Myrna M. Velasco – May 21, 2018, 10:00 PM
from Manila Bulletin

Lopez-owned First Gen Corporation is eyeing capacity hike on its planned two new gas-fired power projects – with higher efficiency gas turbines becoming a ‘differentiating factor’ in such investment proposition that will advance into fruition along with its targeted US$1.0 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) onshore terminal.

First Gen President Francis Giles B. Puno indicated that they are currently looking at the new HL-Class turbines of long-term contractor Siemens AG, the turbines supplier and also the operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider of their three existing gas-fired plants.

“We will go for the more efficient turbines  – it is in excess of 1,000 megawatts,” he said – that is relative to potential higher per unit capacity of the HL-Class turbines that the German firm is already prepping for rollout in power markets globally.

The proposed Santa Maria and Saint Joseph projects of First Gen were originally targeted then at 414-megawatt capacity each, similar to the San Gabriel plant. But if these two future projects will be equipped with the higher efficiency turbines, the capacity for combined cycle installation could go as high 577MW per unit.

“It is more efficient and even more flexible than San Gabriel flex plant, Puno said, noting that this will be highly important given the government-sanctioned massive integration of renewables in the system with the enforcement of the Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) policy.

With HL Class combined cycle turbines, the efficiency rate is at 63-percent and can go as high as 65-percent; and the ramp up rate could be at 85 megawatts per minute, entailing that it could immediately fill supply gap when intermittent renewables would be out from the system.

“Within the next five years, we hope to build two more gas-fired power plants, Santa Maria and Saint Joseph, to complete our vision for the First Gen Clean Energy Complex in Batangas,” Puno said.

First Gen Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Federico R. Lopez stressed “our natural gas-fired platform represents the country’s best bet to keep our lights on in the transition to the all-renewable future so needed by the planet.”

He vouched that “gas-fired plants have only one-third to one-fifth the carbon emissions of coal plants per kilowatt-hour produced, they’re more flexible and ramp up much faster too – and today, they’re even more competitive than coal at all modes of operation: be it baseload, mid-merit or peaking.”

Gas is the investment sphere in the energy sector wherein the Lopez group is in a leading position, hence, it will be taking this notch higher with the well-anticipated expansion of gas markets in the Philippines. Its other preferred investment segment is on renewables.

“First Gen is best positioned and is confident to take the lead with our natural gas and renewable energy portfolio,” Puno reiterated.