PSALM justifies uncertainty in Malaya plant’s operations

Manila Bulletin
by Myrna Velasco
October 15, 2014

As the government has been exhausting all excuses – defensible or not – so it can opt for emergency powers on the country’s power supply next year, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) is adding voice to the controversy by laying down probable precarious operation of the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal plant next year.

“The technical difficulties encountered by Malaya thermal power plant make its availability and dependability during the Malampaya shutdown from March to June 2015 uncertain,” the state-run firm President Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr. has noted.

PSALM has emphasized that since the last shutdown of the Malampaya gas production facility in November-December last year, the plant’s generating unit 1 already logged more than 208.07 hours of operations and 2,301.38 hours for generating unit 2.

It can be culled though that this is the same controversial plant that was on ‘open breaker status’ at that time, meaning it has not been synchronized to the grid when it was supposedly expected to help ease supply tightness on those periods.

Since March this year, a Circular issued by the Department of Energy (DOE) has specifically lined up the Malaya plant to be just called for dispatch as must-run unit (MRU) as may be determined or declared by system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.

PSALM justified that the Malaya plant is an aging facility, clocking in a life span of 40 years already. It comprises of two units with a dependable capacity of 290-MW and 340MW each.

“Malaya unit 1 has been non-operational since March 21, 2014, due to material loss of HP (high pressure) turbine rotating parts that led to the high turbine vibration,” PSALM said.

The generating unit’s overhaul is scheduled to commence latter part this year and is expected for completion in the next 6 to 8 months.

PSALM averred further “it is very likely that, upon actual opening of the unit by the contractor, a more extensive damage would be discovered.”

The company qualified that even if the repair of Malaya’s unit 1 will turn out successful, its purported “100-percent reliable operation cannot be guaranteed, given its age, continuous and longer dispatch at full capacity, and fuel delivery constraints.” source