Semirara has hands full with power plant projects

MANILA, Philippines - Consunji-led Semirara Mining and Power Corp. will have its hands full in terms of coal power plant developments with recently commissioned power plant, upgrades on existing facilities and joint venture power project with Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), a ranking official said.

“Our hands will be full by then,” Semirara president and COO Victor Consunji said when asked if the company has lined up more power projects in the next few years.

Keeping the company busy will be the joint development of a 2x350-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Calaca, Batangas with Meralco called St. Raphael Power Generation Corp.

“We will call that Unit 5 and 6,” Consunji said, referring to the project as the expansion of the existing 2x300-MW coal-fired power plant under Sem-Calaca Power Corp. (SCPC).

The company official said the joint venture project with Meralco originally consists of three 350-MW units, with no definite plans yet on the third unit.

“What was approved was 3x350 MW but what was closed under the deal was only 2x350 MW. For the other one, there is no guidance yet if we will undertake it ourselves,” Consunji said.

An environment compliance certificate (ECC) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has already been secured in 2011, Consunji said, expressing hope there will be no hitches in developing the project.

Meanwhile, Semirara has been commissioning its 2x150 MW coal-fired power plant in the same area called  Southwest Luzon Power Generation Corp. (SLPGC), or the Unit 3 and 4 of the existing Calaca power plant.

Consunji said the company would be asking the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to conduct tests on the plant to issue a certificate of commerciality (COC) since it has produced 150 MW in capacity in the past two weeks of commissioning.

“Between now and November, we will call on ERC to do some tests so we will be given the COC. Right now, we only have a provisional authority to operate,” he said.

While undergoing commissioning, SLPGC has started contributing to Semirara in terms of revenues because of better rates, and is seen to contribute 25 percent to topline this year.