2 mothballed Aboitiz diesel plants in Cebu unplugged from power grid
MANILA, Philippines — Two diesel plants of Aboitiz Power Corp. in Cebu disconnected from the country’s grid system after the firm had decommissioned them due to technical and operational issues.
In a disclosure on Wednesday, the energy giant said its subsidiary Therma Power-Visayas, Inc. (TPVI) had already received a confirmation letter from the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) about the disconnection.
The inactive facilities located at the Naga Power Plant Complex are the 44.64-megawatt (MW) Naga oil-fired power plant and a 0.440-MW black start diesel engine generating unit.
These plants, it noted, “were completely isolated and disconnected” from the transmission network last March 31.
Based on its February 20 filing to the local bourse, the decommissioning was necessary amid “technical and operational issues of the plants caused mainly by the advanced age of the diesel engines.”
READ: Aboitiz Power to shut down 2 Cebu power plants
It was in July 2018 when TPVI purchased the Naga Power Plant Complex from its previous operator Salcon Power Corp.
Aboitiz Power did not respond, when asked whether it has plans to regain the lost capacity through new projects for the site.
Power barges
Also in February, the group said its subsidiary Therma Mobile Inc. (TMO) had put its two floating power plants in Navotas City in “mothball” due to “technical and commercial challenges that prevent or hamper their full utilization and continued safe and efficient operation.”
READ: Aboitiz unit shuts down 2 power barges in Navotas
A power barge is a floating power plant that can be towed and moored in different water sites.
TMO plans to make them operational again by February 2027.
Aboitiz Power has operations in power generation, power distribution, retail electricity services and distributed energy. Its power generation portfolio includes both renewable and non-renewable generation plants.
It finished 2024 strong with core net income hitting P33.7 billion, 5 percent higher than a year ago’s P32 billion.
The firm earlier said its improved financial position was driven by the group’s higher generation portfolio margins and more energy sales recorded in the period.
