Leyte Geothermal Complex damaged by Yolanda Typhoon
Tongonan, Leyte Geothermal power plant, Philippines
Francisco Rojas
19 Nov 2013
Cooling towers, cooling systems and controls have been damaged, affecting all main geothermal power plants. EDC is currently working at full capacity to have the plants in action as soon as possible
Energy Development Corp (EDC) today said its Unified Leyte geothermal power complex sustained heavy damage from the onslaught of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Lopez-owned EDC said the following equipment have been rendered inoperable:
– Cooling towers of the 232-megawatt (MW) Malitbog, 112.5-MW Tongonan and 180-MW Mahanagdong power plants;
– Part of the cooling system of 130-MW Upper Mahiao power plant; and
– Control systems of Tongonan, Mahanagdong and Upper Mahiao power plants.
“Consequently, none of the main power plants constituting the 650-MW are currently operable,” EDC said.
Besides the said equipment, Unified Leyte’s small optimization plants — consisting of the 15-MW Tongonan Topping Cycle and the 16-MW Malitbog Bottoming Cycle — are undergoing assessment for any damage.
“The company is exerting all best efforts to return all the power plants back to service at the soonest possible time,” EDC said.
The Unified Leyte’s steam field appears to be operable despite manifest damage sustained, the company said.
However, almost all of the company’s buildings in the geothermal complex have sustained varying degrees of damage, EDC said.
All of Unified Leyte’s work force have also been accounted for but less than a third has reported back to work “due to the fact that all of our employees and their families are residents of Leyte,” the company said.
The output of the Unified Leyte plant, which was contracted by state-owned National Power Corp (Napocor), was recently auctioned off.
Among those that made qualifying offers for a portion of Unified Leyte’s generated electricity were FDC Utilities Inc, EDC, Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp, Aboitiz Energy Solutions Inc, Waterfront Mactan Casino Hotel Inc, Good Friends Hydro Resources Corp, and Vivant Energy Corp.
Source: Interaksyon Website
