1,200-MW gas powerhouse expects to start delivery by May
Meralco awaits delivery of 1,200 megawatts of power from Excellent Energy Resources inc.
MANILA, Philippines – Gas-fired power plant operator Excellent Energy Resources Inc. (EERI) said it was ready to start delivering 1,200 megawatts of power to Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) once its facility reaches full operability by the end of May.
The statement came as the Department of Energy flagged delays in Eeri’s power supply to Meralco, which had been originally contracted to begin delivery by December of last year.
Yari Miralao, Eeri president and chief executive officer, said Units 1 and 2 were already done with the testing and commissioning process. The facilities have also secured the Final Certificate of Approval to Connect (FCATC).
READ: Energy gap flagged amid Meralco-Eeri supply agreement setback
“With a combined generating capacity of 850 MW, these units are already fully operational and can now generate power,” he said.
The company’s Unit 3, with a capacity of 425 MW, however, has yet to get its FCATC.
Eeri is a joint venture among three of the country’s biggest business groups: Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen) led by Manuel Pangilinan, San Miguel Global Power led by Ramon Ang and Aboitiz Power. MGen is the power generation arm of Meralco.
In a separate briefing on Tuesday, grid operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said it would look into the matter.
Eeri group is confident of ironing out the issues by the end of next month.
“We remain committed to ensuring that the facility can reach full operational capacity at the earliest possible opportunity,” Miralao said.
Department of Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan expressed his concern that the failure of the supply deal to materialize based on the set timeline could result in a potential energy gap.
One of the issues that Marasigan raised was the limited fuel supply from Linseed Field Power Corp., a local unit of global infrastructure firm Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Co., as it has yet to finish its gas storage facility. The DOE official said the gas supply from Linseed is being shared between Eeri and Ilijan power plant.
“Even if there is replacement power, that means that the capacity that they will secure to fulfill that 1,200 MW will be coming from existing facilities, which should be serving different markets,” Marasigan said.
The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) cleared late last year the 15-year power supply agreement between the two parties.
In a message to reporters on Monday, ERC chair Monalisa Dimalanta said the deal was only “provisionally approved,” meaning it remains under evaluation. INQ
