AboitizPower, Vivant to start operation of coal fired power plant by end-2018

MANILA, Philippines — The Visayas grid is expected to get a capacity boost as the 340-megawatt coal-fired power plant of the group of AboitizPower Corp. and Vivant Corp. is expected to come online by mid-2018.

Therma Visayas Inc. (TVI) is working on grid connection and energization of the power plant, Vivant said in its annual report.

TVI is the project company constructing the 2x170 MW coal-fired power generation facility in Toledo City, Cebu.

It is 80 percent owned by AboitizPower subsidiary Therma Power Inc. and 20 percent by Vivant Integrated Generation Corp.

VIGC is a subsidiary of Vivant through wholly-owned Vivant Energy Corp. (VEC).

TVI tapped Hyundai Engineering Co. Ltd. and Galing Power Energy Co. Inc. as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project.

Construction of the power project commenced in March 2015 after the company issued the notice to proceed for all EPC activities.

Moving forward, Vivant is continuously looking for greenfield, brownfield, or acquisition opportunities in the power generation business.

Vivant conducts an extensive evaluation process before any proposed project is undertaken, including the project’s land use requirements, access to the grid, fuel supply availability and arrangements, permits and licenses, competitiveness of the plant and presence of potential off-takers.

The company earlier said it was pouring in P67 billion for new power generation projects in three years starting 2015 as part of the company’s strategy of continuously expanding in the power industry.

As of the end of 2017, Vivant had an attributable capacity of 337 MW, comprising of both renewable and non-renewable power generation plants.

Late last year, Vivant firmed up its partnership with Global Business Power Corp. (GBP) to put up a 670-MW coal fired power plant in La Union.

The two firms will jointly participate through Lunar Powercore Inc. in a project under a special purpose vehicle Global Luzon Energy Development Corp. (GLEDC).

GLEDC will undertake the financing, design, procurement, construction, testing, commission, operation and maintenance of the coal-fired power plant.

VIGC and GBPC have allocated P450 million to complete the project by 2022.