Luzon gets more power as First Gen’s 2 plants back online

Manila Times
July 22, 2014 10:01 pm

Lopez-owned power firm First Gen Corp. reported yesterday that its two natural gas-fired power plants are back online, nearly a week after Typhoon Glenda shut down their operations.
Located in Batangas, the 1,000-megawatt (MW) Santa Rita plant and 500 MW San Lorenzo plant are now ready to boost the power capacity of the badly weakened Luzon Grid.
In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, First Gen advised
that “that all four units of the Santa Rita Plant have been returned to operation.” In a separate notice, it said that both units of the San Lorenzo natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant have resumed operations.
The two plants supply electricity to the country’s largest power distribution utility, Manila Electric Company (Meralco).
Considered as one of the strongest typhoons to hit the country this year, tropical storm Glenda, carrying maximum sustained winds of 95kph, disrupted the operations and transmission of electricity through the Luzon Grid.
Meanwhile, First Gen also reported to the stock exchange that a significant part of its Santa Rita plant, which was turned off last year because of a technical problem, is back online.
“Please be informed that Unit 40 was returned to operation after completion of installation and commissioning of the new replacement transformer,” the listed firm said.
In July, First Gas Power Corp. (FGPC), a unit of First Gen, secured a new transformer for the 250-megawatt unit of the Santa Rita gas plant that was damaged last February.
The damaged transformer had rendered Unit 40 of Santa Rita inoperable and resulted in the loss of a quarter, or approximately 250 MW, of Santa Rita’s 1,000 MW supply of electricity to the Luzon grid.
Madelaine B. Miraflor   source