Meralco unit to revise power plans

Manila Electric Co.’s power generation unit is back on the drawing board to overhaul plans about building a generator complex at the Redondo Peninsula in Zambales.

Rogelio L. Singson, president of Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), said in an interview the company might rethink project specifications, including the technology, as it also considers whether to engage a new EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor.

MGen affiliate Redondo Peninsula (RP) Energy Inc. last year canceled a P46.3-billon order for two 300-megawatt coal-fired generators from South Korean contractor Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Co. Ltd., citing the continued delay of regulatory action on related supply contracts and tariffs.

Singson said the contract was also affected by significant changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates as well as the escalation of relevant prices.

“We are thinking of options about maybe engaging another contractor or adopting a new technology for the generators,” he said.

“It might no longer be CFB (circulating fluidized bed),” Singson said. “If you ask me, I would only settle for ultra supercritical [generators].”

Supercritical power plants are among coal-fired facilities that use “high efficiency, low emission” technologies, which means they harness more heat out of coal compared to conventional coal-fired plants.