Meralco affiliate keen on 600-MW Singapore power project

MANILA, Philippines — PacificLight Power Pte. Ltd., an affiliate of Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), has expressed interest in joining the bidding to develop one of two new power plants in Singapore.

In a recent interview, Meralco chairman and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan said they are setting their sights on expanding their portfolio in Singapore, including a potential investment in a new power plant.

“We might participate in the bidding for the new plants that Singapore wants to do – two 600-megawatt units – so we might bid for one 600-MW (plant),” Pangilinan said.

In June, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority launched a request for proposals for the private sector to build, own and operate new generation capacity in 2029 and 2030.

Each generating unit is expected to have a capacity of at least 600 MW, enough to power around 600,000 homes.

PacificLight is an electric power generator and retailer owned by shareholders under the First Pacific Group and Meralco’s power generation arm, Meralco PowerGen Corp. (MGen).

The company, which began commercial operations in February 2014, currently operates an 800-MW liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fired power plant in Jurong Island, Singapore.

It is deemed to be the first power plant in Singapore to be completely fueled by LNG and is capable of energizing over one million households in the country.

“(We are) now focusing on the gas plants in Singapore; we just got an additional 100 MW. (We now have) 900 MW of gas there,” Pangilinan said.

MGen president and CEO Emmanuel Rubio said PacificLight was granted the right to build, own and operate a 100-MW hydrogen-ready gas turbine with fast-start generation capacity in May.

“This development aligns with our commitment to providing dependable, reliable and sustainable power to Singapore’s rising energy demand,” Rubio said.

In the first six months, PacificLight delivered 2,875 gigawatt-hours of energy, slightly lower than the 2,893 GWh recorded in the same period last year.