Aboitiz, GN Power bare expansion

Manila Standard Today

By Alena Mae S. Flores  Posted on Feb. 18, 2013 at 12:01am

Aboitiz Power Corp. and GN Power Ltd. Co. plan to separately build coal-fired power plants in Cebu and Lanao del Norte provinces, respectively.

Aboitiz Power said over the weekend it might consider a new 300-megawatt power plant in Cebu as part of a long-term expansion program.

Aboitiz Power president Erramon Aboitiz told reporters the Cebu expansion was in the development stage.

“We’re still developing that. We don’t have a timetable for that yet. We’re studying the possibility of putting up a 300-MW plant in the island of Cebu but it is still in the development stage,” Aboitiz said.

GN Power, which is owned by American and Nauran investors, meanwhile, is building a 375-megawatt coal plant in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte to address the power needs of electric cooperatives in Mindanao.

“GN Power is currently conducting the environmental impact study for its planned 375- MW coal plant,” the source said.

GN Power, which also owns the 600-MW Mariveles coal project in Bataan, signed power purchase agreements with around 20 Mindanao electric cooperatives through the Association of Mindanao Electric Cooperatives-Power Supply Aggregation Group Corp., or PSAGCOR.

The Mindanao electric cooperatives signed contracts to purchase as much as 330 MW of electricity supply.

GN Power signed a deal with Agusan del Norte Electric Cooperative Inc. to buy 24 MW of power supply once GN Power’s coal project becomes available by 2016 to 2017. Davao del Sur Electric Cooperative will purchase 31 MW from GN Power.

GN Power is set to commission its coal power plant in Bataan by next month, delivering an additional 600 MW to the Luzon grid.

Aboitiz said the Cebu coal project had not received board approval yet. The project, which may be located in Toledo, has received clearance for a grid impact study.

Aboitiz Power earlier received clearance to conduct a grid impact study for an additional 150-MW coal project in Toledo.

Aboitiz Power has a stake in Cebu Energy Development Corp., which owns a 246-MW coal plant in Toledo City. The company also owns shares in East Asia Utilities Corp., which operates a 40-MW bunker plant in Lapu-Lapu City, and Cebu Private Power Corp., which runs a 70-MW bunker plant in Cebu City.

Energy Department data showed that Visayas would need an additional 2,000 MW of capacity by 2030.   source