Aboitiz to transfer power barges to Mindanao

Aboitiz Power Corp. (APC) will transfer to Mindanao one of its four barge-mounted floating power plants currently moored at the Fishport Complex in Navotas City, to help address a power supply crunch on the island expected next year.

Aboitiz Power, through its wholly owned subsidiary Therma Marine Inc., will transfer the power barge by June 2012, in anticipation of a power shortage seen to occur in the summer months, apart from the continuing increase in demand for power.

“As Mindanao braces for a shortage of power, APC remains true to its commitment to the people of the island by providing a solution that will ensure that our economic progress will continue,” said Bobby Orig, first vice president for Mindanao Affairs at Aboitiz Power.

The power barges are bunker C-fired diesel plants designed for peak load application, and are expected to contribute to the country’s power supply needs.

When fully operational, the barges will have an aggregate deliverable generating capacity of 242 megawatts (MW). These units have not been operating for almost five years.

According to Aboitiz Power, it intends to send the power barge either to Nasipit, Agusan del Norte or Maco, Compostela Valley, where the company has docked two 100-MW power barges.

The facilities are being operated by Therma Marine.

“By bringing in this facility, Mindanao is assured of continued supply of reliable and affordable power to fuel its economy and provide convenience to the people of Mindanao,” Orig explained.

It was only in May this year that APC acquired the four units of the barge-mounted power plants for P2.3 billion.

The company has already implemented rehabilitation efforts on the barges, so that these will be able to deliver maximum capacities.

Rehabilitation of the units is expected to be completed within this month. It will allow the barges to start generating power in the first half of 2012.

The company earlier said that it had initially planned to sell generated power from the Navotas power barges to the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM) in Luzon.

Aboitiz Power was likewise mulling over plans to offer ancillary services to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, operator of the national transmission network.

Ancillary services refer to the power supplier-driven services that are necessary to support the transmission of electricity from power resources to load customers to maintain stability, reliability and quality of services.