THE DEPARTMENT of Energy expects a stable power supply situation in Luzon in the next two to three years as eight critical power projects are expected to generate 860 megawatts in new capacities between now and 2015.
The DOE said the committed power projects that would provide additional supply this year included the 600-MW coal facility of GN Power, which will begin commercial operations by May; the 21-MW bunker-fired facility of CIP II Power Corp., which resumed operations last Jan. 17; the 67.5-MW Pililia wind farm of Alternergy; 1.2-MW Payatas methane plant of Pangea Green Energy, which will be in operation by March; the 13-MW biomass plant of Green Future Innovation, and the 20-MW geothermal plant of Maibarara Geothermal Inc.
By 2015, another 135 MW will be contributed by the Puting Bato coal facility in Batangas and 11 MW will come the rice husk-fed power plant of San Jose City I Power.
The DOE also pointed out that in addition to the eight new power plants, the uprating or rehabilitation of existing power plants would help shore up supply in the Luzon grid. These facilities include the 130 MW of additional capacity to come from the Bacon-Manito geothermal power plants in Albay and Sorsogon and another 5 MW yearly starting 2012 up to 2015 from the uprating of the Binga hydropower facility in Benguet.
Based on the 2012 Power Development Plan (PDP), peak demand in the Luzon grid is expected to increase at an annual average rate of 4.13 percent to 16,477 MW in 2030 from only 7,969 MW in 2012. Based on this estimate, the grid will require an additional 500 MW by 2016 and a total of 8,100 MW by 2030.