First Quezon Biogas powers 1st commercial facility in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — A local biomass plant developer has teamed up with global technology provider ABB to power the country’s first commercial biogas facility.

First Quezon Biogas Corp., with its Singapore-based partner Yamato Technologies Pte Ltd., is working on a $9.7-million biogas plant in Candelaria, Quezon.

The plant will use chicken manure, rice straws, and other agricultural waste into useable energy that can augment the load requirements of the Luzon grid.

First Quezon president Albert Alquiros said the $9.7-million biogas plant would be a means to help the town of Candelaria realize its zero waste objective, as it will require some 20 tons of agricultural waste annually to maintain its operations.

The company has tapped has tapped ABB to provide technology for the country’s first commercial biogas facility.

To ensure the operational efficiency of this landmark biogas facility, ABB delivered and installed one unit of 2.5MVA transformer, and housed it within its proprietary EcoFlex eHouse solution, which has been designed and tested to protect electrification products from harsh environments.

“ABB is pleased to have been chosen as one of the technology providers for this important project. We are optimistic that our solutions will enhance the efficiency of the facility, and help it become a crucial contributor in efficiently distributing energy resources,” ABB’s Philippine president and country managing director Olivier Coquerel said.

The ABB EcoFlex eHouse was designed as an innovative solution to provide customers with efficient flexibility. Since it is modular in design, customers can choose to make use of one module only, or a combination of modules for larger applications, making it a smart and economical choice.

ABB said its EcoFlex eHouse is designed to be easily transported and installed onsite as pre-tested complete modules.

It is constructed according to ISO/1161 and 1496-1 standards to ensure stability and has variants suited to a vast array of applications from various segments such as renewables, infrastructure, EV charging, utilities and even mining and oil and gas.