17-MW geothermal plant to rise in Albay by 2023

Aboitiz Power Corp., the listed power business of the Aboitiz Group, is ramping up its renewable energy investment with the construction of a 17-megawatt binary geothermal power plant in Albay.

In a statement, AboitizPower said the planned facility would utilize excess heat from spent brine coming from its Tiwi geothermal facility, the country’s first geothermal power plant.

Slated for completion within the fourth quarter of 2023, the plant will be built from the ground up “with an entirely new binary plant system, pipes and transmission line.”

AboitizPower is developing the facility through its subsidiary, AP Renewables, Inc. (APRI), which signed an agreement with its steam provider back in April for the supply of brine.

According to APRI president and chief operating officer Jeffrey Estrella, the concept of recovering heat from geothermal brine and converting it into electricity is a novel solution that increases the overall generation productivity from the Tiwi geothermal facility.

“This project is meant to recycle our byproduct and turn it into productive energy in the form of electricity, through the addition of a binary plant. We are always keen on investing in improvements and technical innovations that extend the useful life and improve the output of our renewable energy assets,” added Estrella.