Philippines

Japanese joint venture firm TeaM Energy has been exploring at least 10 areas in Luzon and Visayas for prospective renewable energy projects. In a briefing with reporters, TeaM Energy president Federico E. Puno noted that his company’s interests are generally focused on hydro, biomass and geothermal energy developments. The sites it has been evaluating for prospective RE projects include those for mini-hydro in San Juan, La Union; Tabuk-Kalinga; Tuba-Benguet; and Mountain Province. The larger-scale hydro targets are in Tuba, Benguet’s site at the tailings pond of Philex Mining Corporation. Incidentally, the company is currently a capacity off-taker (buyer) of TeaM Energy’s excess capacity in the Sual plant. The rest of the hydro prospects are in various sites in Luzon and Visayas. Geothermal developments, according to the company chief executive, are eyed for the sites being evaluated in Mountain Province and Mount Natib in Bataan Daclan, also in Benguet province. The company has listed two biomass sites being studied in Unisan, Quezon and San Ildefonso, Bulacan. Puno noted that they are currently “awaiting feasibility study from proponent” for the Quezon prospect; while a meeting with another interested party is being scheduled for the Bulacan target. “There were areas that we’ve already looked at, but we have already abandoned some of them because the potential had not been viable for development,” the TeaM Energy chief executive stressed. For the hydro developments, some areas are currently the subject of feasibility studies; while others are already at the process of awarding turnkey contracts leading to the actual construction of the projects. TeaM Energy is among those expressing interests to join the bandwagon of RE investments; but it is one which would be willing to bet on these projects even without the support of feed-in-tariffs. The company noted that it can work on cornering its own market for such developments as long as the other hurdles, such as the sustainability of fuel for biomass projects, can be sufficiently addressed.  

The time frame for improving the electricity transmission system in the Philippines has been extended from 10 to 15 years.

The $280-million San Ramon Power plant of Alsons Group has secured an Environment Compliance Certificate.

The country with Asia’s most expensive electricity waxes optimistic about meeting its renewable energy goals.

An American company intends to use garbage to cut the high cost of electricity in the Philippines.

Alsons Consolidated Resources will add 600MW of coal-fired power generating capacity in Mindanao over the next five years.

The importation and local production of coal in the Philippines is on the rise.

A 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant may be online by 2025.

The price of solar electricity from renewable energy sources in the Philippines will remain double that of China’s despite a move to lower the Feed-in-Tariff.

President Benigno S. Aquino III was optimistic the Philippines will exploit more of its huge bioenergy potential.

For many people the word “Mindanao” conjures up pictures of beaches, terrorists, or more recently, terrible flooding and loss of life. With over a thousand people dead from Typhoon Sendong, it’s hard to believe there is good news in Mindanao. But for those interested in power generation, there is much more going on in this southern island of the Philippines.

Semirara Mining Corp has signed a seven-year deal to sell up to a 410-megawatt power capacity to Meralco.

Semirara Mining Corp signed a seven-year deal to sell up to a 410-megawatt power capacity to Meralco.

Meralco entered into power supply agreements with three major generating firms involving an initial total capacity of 1,720 megawatts. Meralco said it had signed an eight-year power supply deal with South Premier Power Corp for the full 1,180-MW net capacity of the Ilijan natural gas power plant in Batangas, south of Manila. It also sealed a seven-year power supply deal with a wholly owned unit of Semirara Mining Corp, the country's biggest coal producer, for an initial volume of 210 MW. The contracted volume under the deal with Semirara's SEM-Calaca Power Corp unit, which owns a 600-MW coal-fired thermal power plant in Batangas, will increase to 420 MW when another power plant unit begins commercial operation.

Thailand's Electricity Generating Pcl plans to more than double capacity at its Quezon power plant in the Philippines as part of a regional expansion.

A dam and a coal-fired power plant will be built in the Philippines with the assistance of South Korea.