DMCI Power forays into renewables in 2024

DMCI Power Corp., the energy unit of Consunji-led DMCI Holdings Inc., is pursuing its first renewable energy venture this year after decades in the thermal business, in a bid to diversify its portfolio and generate clean power for Filipino households.

Isidro Consunji, DMCI Holdings chair and president told reporters last week that they planned on completing a 12-megawatt (MW) onshore wind facility on Semirara Island in Antique province.

“We’re going to initially build a 12-MW facility, but we think its potential is more than 100 MW,” he said, adding that the project would entail a $12-million investment based on industry estimates.

DMCI Power currently operates and maintains bunker-fired power plants and diesel generating sets in the provinces of Masbate, Palawan and Mindoro.

The company provides power to off-grid, missionary areas through power supply agreements (PSAs) with Masbate Electric Cooperative (Maselco), Oriental Mindoro Cooperative and Palawan Electric Cooperative.

Consunji explained that they had high hopes for the wind facility, and that they expected to get more offtakers, or buyers, after at least a year.

The company first announced in June 2023 its plan to build the onshore wind facility, along with a small-scale solar power plant.

DMCI Power president Antonino Gatdula Jr. said the planned 4-MW solar facility would be located in Masbate to augment supply within the Maselco service area.

“We’re done with prefiling requirements, but the Energy Regulatory Commission is asking for additional documents,” Gatdula said. “Once we submit these, we will file the PSA [with Maselco] for approval.“According to DMCI Power, the wind corridors between Luzon and the group of islands anchored by Panay—which include Semirara Island—were found to have “good-to-excellent” wind power.

Another DMCI subsidiary, Semirara Mining and Power Corp., produces coal from the eponymous island.

Semirara coal is used by the DMCI group’s power generating subsidiaries that deliver to the main grid, with generators operating in Batangas province, and also shipped to export markets that include buyers based in China.

In 2023, Semirara sold a record 15.8 million metric tons (MMT) of coal, largely driven by growth in export sales.

This volume was a 6-percent increase from the volume of coal they sold in 2022. Export sales volume jumped by 13 percent to 8.1 MMT, while domestic sales were stable at 7.7 MMT.

China remained Semirara’s largest export market with 5.2 MMT in sales, followed by South Korea with 2.2 MMT and Brunei with 306,800 MT. INQ