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20 MW Maibarara plant starts operation in Batangas, Philippines

20 MW Maibarara plant starts operation in Batangas, Philippines Discharge of the first well, Mai6D on Maibarara project site, Philippines (source: Maibarara Geothermal Inc.)
Alexander Richter 10 Feb 2014

Maibarara Geothermal Inc. (MGI) has started operation at its 20 MW Maibarara geothermal power plant in Batangas, Philippines. The project is a JV with PetroGreen Energy, Trans-Asia Oil & Energy Development and PNOC renewable Corp.

The 20 MW Maibarara geothermal power plant in Sto. Tomas in Batangas, Philippines has started operation, as announced by Maibarara Geothermal Inc. (MGI). The plant now provides additional power to the Luzon power grid.

The plant started operation on Saturday Feb. 8, 2014, and is connected to the Luzon grid by a five-kilometer long 115 kilovolt transmission line through the distribution system of Manila Electric Co.

MGI designed and constructed the steamfield while EEI Corp. built the the power plant and Fuji Electric of Japan supplied the main plant equipment.

The facility’s steamfield was initially commissioned in second quarter and the power plant in the third quarter of last year.

In 2012, MGI said it has invested P2.4 billion ($52 million) for the project’s steam field pipelines, power station, and transmission facilities.

MGI is a consortium of listed PetroGreen Energy Corp. which owns 65 percent, with Trans-Asia Oil & Energy Development Corp. owning 25 percent and government-owned Philippine National Oil Co.-Renewable Corp. holding a 10 percent interest in the facility.

The Maibarara facility is the first geothermal project to go onstream under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which mandates the establishment of a feed-in tariff (FIT) system for electricity produced from RE sources

According to the Energy Department, FIT offers emerging renewable energy sources for electricity guaranteed payments on a fixed rate per kilowatt-hour for energy exported to the distribution or transmission network excluding energy used for eligible power plants’ own use.

But the Maibarara geothermal project will not enjoy incentives under the FIT system, Energy director Mario Marasigan told GMA News Online in a text message.

“Maibarara, as well as other geothermal projects, are not eligible under FIT the system. Geothermal and impounding/storage hydropower projects are considered competitive with the conventional [power projects],” he said.

Source: GMA News