Natural gas now accounts for big portion of RP’s energy mix

Natural gas is slowly eating up a substantial portion of the country’s generation mix, according to data obtained from the National Power Corp. (Napocor).

The data from the Napocor’s corporate planning division showed that for the month of October, the share of natural gas in the country’s generation mix had reached 32 percent.

By December this year, the share of natural gas is expected to reach 35 percent.

Natural gas entered into the country’s generation mix in October 2001 when the 1,000-megawatt (MW) Sta. Rita gas-fired power plant went into commercial operation. Two more gas-fired power plants – the 500 MW San Lorenzo and the 1,200-MW Ilijan power plants – went full steam last April and June, respectively.

From six percent in the first six months this year, it is estimated that the share of natural gas will grow to 8.56 percent for the whole of 2002.

The increased utilization of natural gas will allow the country to be less dependent on imported fuel. For the past three years, the share of imported fuel oil has been continuously dropping from 41 percent in 1998, 23 percent in 1999 than to 21 percent in 2000.

For this year, the total installed capacity of the country is expected at 14,618 megawatts. The bulk will come from coal with 28.2 percent and geothermal with 28 percent.

The remaining capacity for 2002 is expected to come from hydropower with 16 percent, natural gas, 15.2 percent and oil and gas turbine at 12.4 percent and 0.35 percent, respectively.

Today, President Arroyo is scheduled to inaugurated the Ilijan power plant, the country’s biggest power facility running on natural gas, at the plant site in Batangas.

The Ilijan gas facility was committed in 1996 as part of the long-term program to build the country’s energy capacity. The contract to build the plant was won by Korea Power Corp. (Kepco) which 10 partnered with Mirant Energy, Mitsubishi Corp. and Kyushu Electric to form Kepco Ilijan Power Corp. (Keilco).

Keilco invested about $710 million to build the power plant on a 25-hectare onshore site in Barangay Ilijan, which is one of the facilities put up to utilize the country’s emerging $5-billion natural gas industry.

All the natural gas facilities will utilize the fuel discovered in Malampaya, Palawan which has an aggregate capacity of 2,700 MW.

In another development, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued yesterday a statement clarifying certain data contained in a report that came out in The STAR last Tuesday.

The report pertains to the results of the first DOE Asian Utility Fuel Economy Run conducted last Nov. 10. The statement which was signed by Teresita M. Borra, director of the Energy Utilization Bureau, said the results for the two entries of Honda Cars Phils. were: 13.422 kilometers per liter for CRV 2.0L manual transmission; and 9.587 kilometers per liter for CRV 2.0L automatic transmission.