12-MW biomass plant to be put up in Bataan

A 12-megawatt (MW) biomass power plant with a dedicated plantation is set to rise in Bataan after Cleangreen Energy Corp. (CEC) received its biomass renewable energy operating contract from the Department of Energy.

Commercial operations will likely start in 2017, Cleangreen Energy Corp. president and CEO Francisco L. Dayrit Jr. said.

CEC expects to commence phase 1 of construction of the 12-MW biomass plant this year, with a plan to increase the capacity to 24 MW for phase 2.

This project is only the first of many for CEC.

“The power plant would not only augment power supply in Luzon but would also help contribute to the preservation of the environment as its output is carbon neutral,” Dayrit said.

The 12 MW integrated biomass power station will rise on a 6-hectare property in Bagac, Bataan. It will use giant napier grass (GNG) as its primary feedstock to be sourced from a new dedicated plantation.

The plantation will be managed and operated by CEC’s sister company GreenDay Agri Farm, which is in close proximity to the plant.

Giant napier grass is a fast growing plant that fully matures within 6 months and has high calorific value compared to other biomass, making it an ideal feedstock for power generation.

With the plantation, CEC will have constant supply of primary feedstock, ensuring steady power. Using biomass as fuel, the power plant is carbon neutral, sustainable, and may produce 100 percent renewable energy that does not harm the environment.

The power plant will use direct fired boiler technology designed to achieve 90 percent efficiency and handle the corrosive matter of the biomass feedstock.

“We welcome and support renewable environmentally responsible energy projects such as this because it would provide economical source of energy as well as job opportunities to the people of Bataan,” Bataan Governor Albert Garcia said in a statement.

The establishment of the power plant and the dedicated plantation would bring much needed economic benefits to the host town and its surrounding areas through increased tax income and employment opportunity for its citizens, specially the local farmers who help out at the dedicated plantation for the CEC power plant, Garcia said.

Republic Act No. 9153 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 presented CEC with an opportunity to help and augment the future power requirements of the Philippines through clean and renewable sources of power.

CEC then took the initiative to conceptualize the Bagac 12MW biomass power plant.

CEC received the contract during a ceremonial signing held last Feb. 12 at the Department of Energy. The event was attended by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla and Garcia. Dayrit represented the company. Greenday Agri Farm president Mark S. Dayrit also attended the event.