2 Mindanao power plants to start Oct

MANILA, Philippines - Two oil-fired power plants in Mindanao are scheduled to come on stream by October to help the island cope with the power crunch amid maintenance activities of existing plants, the Department of Energy (DOE) said in a report.

The plants will be operated by Mapalad Energy Generating Corp. and EEI Power Corp.

Mapalad’s plant, with a capacity of 15 megawatts, is located at Mapalad in Iligan City while EEI’s plant, also rated at 15 MW, is at Tagum City, Davao del Norte.

In its report, the DOE said Mapalad Energy’s P373-million plant is eyeing to commence commercial operations after securing financing from the Bank of the Philippine Islands and Cagayan de Oro Lending Center.

On the other hand, EEI’s P600-million plant is already 75-percent complete and is set for commercial operations within the month.

Financing for the project – 30-percent equity and 70 percent loan – has already been secured from Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) for the loan.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla has warned that Mindanao would likely experience power outages again beginning this month because of the scheduled maintenance shutdown of some plants.

Some power plants in Mindanao will shut down for maintenance activities from July to December 2013, according to DOE data.

August, in particular, would be a critical month when the 210-MW STEAG coal plant in Mindanao shuts down for maintenance from August to November. At least 115 MW of STEAG’s output would not be available.

Similarly, the Pulangi IV hydropower plant also has a scheduled maintenance shutdown on different dates from August to September, which could affect roughly 160 MW.

The Agus 6 hydropower plant is also scheduled to shut down for preventive maintenance on different dates from August to December and which could affect 25 to 50 MW.