Aboitiz Power Corp. subsidiary Therma Visayas Inc. opened a new coal-fired power plant in Toledo City, Cebu that will add 170 megawatts of supply in Visayas.
The company said the second unit of the Toledo baseload power project would be online by May to add another 170 MW.
It said at full capacity, the 340-MW project would boost power supply in the Visayas and Luzon if needed. The facility is a joint venture of Aboitiz Power and Vivant Corp.
“We are happy to have brought Therma Visayas online just in time to support the government’s call for more reliable energy supply as we head towards the mid-term elections,” Danel Aboitiz, president and chief operating officer of Aboitiz Power’s coal business unit, said.
The plant will deliver power to Visayan Electric Co. Inc. and electric cooperatives and open access customers in Luzon and the Visayas.
Customers with energy supply contracts enjoy stable prices in the long term and are essentially protected from the volatility of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.
“By having a reliable baseload plant on the island of Cebu, the residents and investors on the island will enjoy a number of economic and strategic benefits that include increased energy security, more competitive prices, and local employment,” Aboitiz said.
The Toledo baseload power plant is using the latest circulating fluidized-bed technology and best available control technologyto minimize emissions to world-class levels.
It is the second plant in the Philippines to build a “coal dome” to safely store its coal fuel and prevent fugitive dust outside the facility.
The plant started construction in 2015, and at its peak, employed around 5,800 people, most of whom came from the host locality.
Aboitiz Power said the first unit of GNPower Dinginin coal-fired power plant with 668-MW gross capacity was also expected to go online later this year, while the second unit, which also has a gross capacity of 668 MW, was targeted for commercial operations by 2020.
Once operational, these facilities will boost Aboitiz Power’s capacity and help address the country’s rapidly increasing demand for reliable and cost-efficient power.
Aboitiz Power is the holding company of the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution and retail electricity services.
It advances business and communities by providing reliable and ample power supply at a reasonable and competitive price and with the least adverse effects on the environment and host communities.
The company is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines with a balanced portfolio of assets located across the country.
The company owns distribution utilities that operate in high-growth areas in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, including the second and third largest private utilities in the country.