GE turns waste to energy in the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Bacavalley Energy Inc., the leading waste-to-energy developer in the Philippines, and General Electric (GE) have inaugurated the first landfill gas power plant in the country to feature GE’s Jenbacher gas engines.

The project was inaugurated Dec. 2 in a ceremony attended by Austrian Ambassador to the Philippines Wilhelm Donko, Laguna Governor ER Ejercito, San Pedro, Laguna Mayor Calixto Cataquiz, Department of Energy Undersecretary Loreta Ayson, and Bacavalley Energy, Inc. chairman Salvador Zamora II. 

The San Pedro Landfill Methane Recovery and Electricity Generation project will help meet the Philippines’ growing energy needs while also reducing the emissions of methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.

By utilizing methane generated by the San Pedro landfill in Laguna to power GE’s Jenbacher gas engines, the project will reduce the landfill’s methane emissions about 70 percent. The new plant, located 35 kilometers south of Manila, will produce more than four megawatts of electricity for sale to the local grid. Full commercial operation of the new plant is expected by January 2011.

“Bacavalley Energy is pleased to be working with GE on the San Pedro Methane Power Plant project,” said Peregrino Fernandez Jr., president of Bacavalley Energy Inc. “We are confident in the performance of GE’s Jenbacher gas engines and we hope to further our partnership in future waste-to-energy projects.”

GE supplied four containerized Jenbacher JGC 320 gas engine gensets. Together with Desco Inc., the authorized sales and service distributor of GE’s Jenbacher gas engines in the Philippines, additional services for up to 60,000 operating hours will be provided. The Jenbacher engines are specifically designed with the fuel flexibility needed to accommodate the use of alternative fuels such as landfill gas, while offering high levels of electrical efficiency. They are approved under Ecomagination, GE’s commitment to invest in a future that creates innovative solutions to global environmental challenges. 

“San Pedro is a milestone project for us, marking the first installation of our gas engines on a landfill in the Philippines,” said Prady Iyyanki, CEO-gas engines for GE Power and Water. “It is another example of how customers worldwide are turning to new ways of capturing and using waste gases to meet their energy needs. Many of these customers are using our technology to generate power reliably while cutting greenhouse emissions.”

The San Pedro project will be registered under the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change. It also supports the Philippines Department of Energy’s initiative to develop alternative sources of energy and promote cleaner energy sources over the next 20 years.

Bacavalley Energy Inc., which aims to be a leader and a model for the renewable energy industry in the Philippines, is the owner and operator of the San Pedro landfill waste to energy project. The lead contractor for the construction of the new plant was Tankerton Construction Corp. of Quezon City, Philippines.

“We are excited about this renewable energy project, which will improve the level of municipal waste management and create new jobs for the community,” said John Alcordo, GE Energy’s country executive for the Philippines. “With GE Jenbacher’s best-in-class technology, we are confident the success of this facility will quickly find the momentum to replicate itself all over the country.”

This announcement continues a series of recent actions in GE’s energy business over the past couple of months aimed at growing its overall presence in the global energy space. On Oct. 1, GE announced its purchase of Calnetix Power Solutions, which expands GE’s capabilities to recover waste heat from industrial processes for electricity generation. On Oct. 6, GE announced the acquisition of Dresser Inc., a global energy infrastructure technology and service provider. On Oct. 19, GE announced the development of its new, larger, power-generation gas engine: the J920 engine. With electrical efficiency of 48.7 percent and an output of 9.5 MW, the new engine is the most efficient in its class and it extends GE’s technical excellence in power-generation gas engines.

Also in attendance during the inauguration were Engr. Jun Fernandez, Bacavalley Energy President; Gatot Prawiro, general manager for GE’s Jenbacher gas engines Asia Pacific; Alfred Buchner, general manager, GE Jenbacher North East Asia (excluding China); and John Alcordo, GE Energy’s country executive for the Philippines, among others.