EDC aims to bring 150MW BacMan plants back online in late 2011
Bacon-Manito geothermal power plant, Philippines (source: First Gen Corp.)
Alexander Richter
2 Dec 2010
The Philippine based Energy Development Corp. is aiming to rehabilitate the 150 MW Bacon-Manito (BacMan) plants earlier than planned and put the online in late 2011.
News from the Philippines indicate, that “Energy Development Corp., the country’s biggest producer of geothermal power, is set to fast-track the rehabilitation of the 150-megawatt Bacon-Manito (BacMan) geothermal plants to put these back in operation in less than two years.
On the sidelines of the Renewable Energy Forum Thursday, EDC chairman and CEO Federico Lopez said the company was trying to rush the rehabilitation of these facilities to have them ready by the second half of next year.
This new time frame was much shorter than the period of 18 to 24 months that the company has initially set.
According to Lopez, the company targets to have the Bac-Man facilities generate 120 MW after the completion of the rehabilitation work. Currently, the power plants are practically inoperable, with a generating availability of only 3 percent.
The additional capacity to be generated from the rehab work will help shore up power supply in Luzon by next year when a 300-MW power supply shortage is expected.
Last May, EDC, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Bac-Man Geothermal Inc., submitted the highest bid of $28.25 million for the Bacon-Manito geothermal power plant package. The Lopez unit bested the $17.8-million offer of Aboitiz group’s Therma Power Inc.
It was only last September that the facilities were turned over to the Lopez subsidiary after BacMan Geothermal paid the government P1.28 billion, representing the full amount of the bid price.
This acquisition boosted EDC’s portfolio of geothermal power generation assets to 1,199 MW.
The BacMan plant package is composed of two steam plant complexes in Albay and Sorsogon. EDC currently provides the steam for these facilities. The BacMan I geothermal facility has two 55-MW turbines, both commissioned in 1993, while the BacMan II facility also has two 20-MW units: Cawayan located in Barangay (village) Basud and Botong in Osiao, Sorsogon City. The Cawayan unit started operating in 1994, while the Botong unit was commissioned in 1998.
The Lopez group, through other subsidiaries and affiliates, has earlier purchased five other government-owned plants prior to BacMan. These plants include the 1.6-MW Agusan hydropower facility, the 112-MW Pantabangan-Masiway hydropower plant package and the 305-MW Palinpinon-Tongonan geothermal power facility package.”
Source: Inquirer
