Emerging Power hires manager for 40-MW Mindoro geothermal

MANILA, Philippines - The renewable energy company majority-owned by listed miner Nickel Asia Corp. has tapped a Spanish-Filipino company to provide engineering, operations and management services for its 40-megawatt (MW) geothermal power plant in Oriental Mindoro.

Emerging Power Inc. (EPI) said it recently entered into a memorandum of understanding with Tamoin Industrial Services Corp. (TISCO) for the operations of the geothermal power plant in Naujan town.

The MOU was signed by EPI president Martin Antonio Zamora and TISCO chairman Antonio Barrenechea in Bilbao, Spain last Sept. 29.

Under the deal, TISCO will provide engineering, operations and management services for EPI during the operations of Mindoro Geothermal Power Corp.

The Mindoro project is targeted for commissioning in the first quarter of 2017. It aims to supply energy to more than 250,000 homes in the whole Mindoro Island.

“With this project, we continue to broaden our presence in Southeast Asia. We at TISCO are pleased to work with a company that shares our vision for sustainable power generation,” TISCO president Marriz Agbon said.

TISCO is a joint venture between Tamoin Group, a Spanish company based in Bilbao, northern Spain, and Manila-based GAAD Inc.

Tamoin Group has more than 60 years of experience in industrial engineering services, including oil and gas, power generation, wind power and aeronautical services.

Meanwhile, GAAD specializes in complex power projects on gas, geothermal, oil, coal, renewable energies as well as transmission lines around Asia.

For the Mindoro project, TISCO will provide local support and assessment, as well as the evaluation of the resources to be assigned to the project.

The Spanish-Filipino firm is considering companies TSK and Turboden to provide the technical know-how and support, training, spare parts and engineering competence in the operations and maintenance of the Mindoro geothermal plant.

TSK is one of the most relevant engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors in conventional and renewable energy projects worldwide, while Turboden is a company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries focused on the development of geothermal organic rankine cycle power plants worldwide.

Last April, Nickel Asia Corp. exercised its option to convert the P446-million loan extended to EPI for a 55-percent stake in the firm, diversifying its business into renewable energy development.

The miner raised its stake in EPI to 66 percent after putting in an additional investment of P474 million in the Montelago project.

Apart from the Mindoro project, EPI is working on a 50-MW wind project and 100-MW solar project in Subic, Zambales; a 10-MW solar project in Camarines Sur; a 2.5-MW biogas project in Quezon; and a 10-MW solar and bunker hybrid project in Northern Palawan.

It has also recently has partnered with Orka Energy of Iceland to jointly develop a geothermal power project in Biliran, Leyte.