MGen unit eyeing to build another plant in Singapore

Power distribution utilities, including Meralco, said they were already drawing up contingency measures to ensure no brownouts during the election period. (File photo by EDWIN BACASMAS / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

PacificLight Power, a subsidiary of Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen), may take part in Singapore’s bidding for new power plants, tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

“We might participate in the bidding for the new plants that Singapore wants to do, two 600-megawatt (MW) units, so we might bid for one,” he told reporters in a recent chance interview.

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Pangilinan did not disclose how much the project will cost. In June, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) invited private players to participate in the bidding for two new hydrogen-ready combined cycle gas turbine generating units, with a capacity of at least 600 MW each.

The facilities are expected to be operational by 2029 and 2030. In an earlier statement, EMA said the country’s power demand has been “steadily increasing” on the back of the growth of its advanced manufacturing, digital economy and transport sectors.

It said Singapore’s electricity demand is projected to grow by at least 3.7 percent over the next six years, reaching between 10.1 gigawatts (GW) and 11.8 GW by 2030.

“We welcome industry participation in our journey to shape a greener and more resilient energy future for Singapore,” said Ngiam Shih Chun, chief executive of EMA.

Just in May, PacificLight bagged the right to build, operate and own a 100-MW power-generating unit in Singapore. It is slated for commercial operations by the second quarter of next year.

“This development aligns with our commitment to providing dependable, reliable and sustainable power to Singapore’s rising energy demand,” said Emmanuel Rubio, president and chief executive of MGen.