EDC temporarily shutting down geothermal plants after earthquake damage
Leyte geothermal plant, Philippines
Alexander Richter
7 Jul 2017
EDC temporarily shuts down geothermal power plant on Leyte in the Philippines following a significant earthquake. But no major damage is reported to the plants, and it is expected they will be operational in 2-3 weeks.
Reported yesterday, a recent earthquake on Leyte in the Philippines with a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale has affected operations of the geothermal plants by Energy Development Corporation (EDC)
The company is now assessing the damage to the plants. “We are aware of news reports of plant damage and are currently awaiting further assessments on the state of our physical assets to determine the exact nature of any damage to our plants,” EDC President and COO Richard Tantoco said in a statement.
Leyte Gov. Dominic Petilla earlier said power was cut off in the province as the EDC-owned Malitbog Geothermal Power Station, located in Kananga town, automatically shuts down during a quake.
The power plant is the largest geothermal energy producer in the country and provides most of the power supply for Visayas.
EDC is the country’s largest operator of geothermal power plants in the Philippines. It is part of First Gen Corporation and the Lopez Group of companies.
Source: ABS CBN
