October 11, 2019 | 12:06 am By Victor V. Saulon, Sub-Editor
MERALCO PowerGen Corp.
(MGen) is studying new technology for its possible entry into biomass energy
development to help address the country’s garbage problem through a
waste-to-energy project, its president said.
“I think there might be
a way of addressing [the garbage problem],” MGen President and Chief Executive
Officer Rogelio L. Singson said in a recent chance interview. “I’m looking at
new technology sa biomass because we have a lot of water hyacinth.”
He said the
free-floating aquatic plant had been his “headache” when he was secretary of
the Department of Public Works and Highways under the previous administration.
“Lahat nu’ng
flooding sa (All the flooding in) Mindanao was caused by water
hyacinth,” he said about the perennial plant that is known to clog waterways,
trapping garbage and causing flooding where they thrive.
“And that’s organic. Ba’t
nagtatanim ka pa ng (Why would you still plant) Napier grass,” he said,
about another perennial plant that is grown to provide feedstock for biomass
facilities.
He said there has to be
a way to collect water hyacinth as feedstock for a biomass facility, which
converts agricultural waste to electricity.
Mr. Singson said the
company is looking at areas in Luzon for the biomass facility.
“But our second target
would be microgrids,” he said, referring to energy systems that are independent
from the main transmission grid, or the country’s network of transmission
lines, towers and substations.
He said MGen was
considering off-grid island provinces and municipalities that need energy
development for their own use as the target location for its microgrid
projects.
MGen is a unit of
Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), the country’s largest electricity seller.
Meralco’s board of
directors recently approved the request of MGen’s unit MGEN Renewable Energy,
Inc. (MGreen) for a P424.2-million equity funding for its solar projects under
development with a combined capacity of 210-megawatt peak (MWp) and a total
estimated project cost of P10.01 billion.
MGreen earlier
announced its plan to invest in 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects over the
next five to seven years.
Besides advancing
renewable energy prospects, MGen is also focused on utilizing high efficiency,
low emission (HELE) technology for its baseload power plants.
It is the proponent of
San Buenaventura Power Ltd. Co., which is pioneering the country’s first
supercritical coal-fired power plant in Mauban, Quezon. The 455-MW plant is
under construction and is scheduled for commercial operations in late 2019.
MGen is also planning
to build an ultra-supercritical coal-fired power plant in Quezon province under
wholly owned subsidiary Atimonan One Energy, Inc. The plant will have two
units, each with a capacity of 600 MW.
MGen also plans to
develop a two-unit coal power plant, each with a capacity of 300 MW in Subic, Zambales.
Meralco’s controlling
stakeholder, Beacon Electric Asset Holdings, Inc., is partly owned by PLDT Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary
MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through
the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.
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