Power firm restores 6MW binary plant

CEBU, Philippines - Power industry leader AboitizPower is now generating additional load following the restoration of a component of its major geothermal plant in Luzon.

The 6-MW Binary Plant 1 at the firm’s Makiling-Banahaw (MakBan) Geothermal Project Complex is now generating clean and renewable energy for the Luzon Grid, utilizing heat from the spent brine.

During the recent presentation of the restored binary, AboitizPower President and COO Antonio Moraza said through their Cleanergy brand, they are committed to tap more renewable energy in the future.

"We have always emphasized that AboitizPower will continue to pursue renewable energy projects for as long as it is sensible and cost-effective for our customers and for us. As we grow our portfolio of power plants, we will always strive to achieve a balance between renewable and conventional energy sources," Moraza said.

Under its Cleanergy brand, AboitizPower Renewables, Inc. (APRI) uses modern technology to produce renewable and clean energy at reasonable cost. With highest efficiency, its power plants operate in accordance with international standard.

The P130 million restoration work of the Binary Plant 1 was completed in the second half of last year and the facility is now operating full steam.

It is one of three binary cycle power plants at the MakBan Geothermal Project Complex that were decommissioned nine years ago. During inspection, APRI found that only the Binary Plant 1 is feasible for restoration.

“It took us more than a year to complete the restoration, but we were able to add 6 MW installed capacity of renewable energy to our facility, utilizing heat from geothermal byproducts and idle equipment,” APRI President and COO Felino Bernardo said.

Geothermal energy is generated through steam or hot water that is tapped from the earth's surface. At MakBan geothermal complex, water that is not hot enough is channeled through the Binary Plant 1 to produce electricity.

Present during the ceremony, held at AboitizPower's Cleanergy Center inside the MakBan geothermal complex last Thursday, was Department of Energy Renewable Energy  Director Mario Marasigan.

Marasigan said clean and renewable energy in the country now reached to almost 7,000 MW following the addition of more than 2,000 MW since 2010 to the overall capacity.

As the government is aggressively pushing for a more environment-friendly source of energy, Marasigan said the department is now reviewing hundreds of renewable energy contracts.

"So we have more projects. The DOE has already issued about 890 renewable energy service contracts," he told reporters.

Aside from the 458-MW MakBan geothermal complex — located in Bay and Calauan in Laguna and Santo Tomas in Batangas — AboitizPower also owns the 289-MW Tiwi Geothermal Power Plant in Tiwi, Albay.

The two Luzon facilities, which operate since 1979, currently generate a combined capacity of 390 MW of clean and renewable energy. (FREEMAN)