Maibarara 2 starts supplying Luzon grid

PETROENERGY Resources Corp. ( PERC) said on Monday that the 12- megawatt ( MW) Maibarara Geothermal Power Plant- 2 in Sto. Tomas, - porting power to Luzon after the plant was successfully synchronized to the Luzon grid.

The plant is operated by Maibarara Geothermal, Inc. ( MGI), a joint venture of PetroGreen Energy Corp. ( PGEC), PHINMA Energy Corp., and PNOC Renewables Corp. PGEC is the renewable energy holding unit of PetroEnergy Resources.

The plant was put online at 12: 04 pm on Friday, March 9, marking its first export of power. After its synchronization to the grid, the Maibarara- 2 will undergo a series of capability and reliability tests. During the tests, the Energy Regulatory Commission will conduct a technical inspection as part of its requirements for the issuance of a certificate of compliance ( COC).

The company can start commercial operations once it secures the COC.

“Maibarara- 2 is the first geothermal facility to be put up under the administration of President [ Rodrigo] Duterte and the only geothermal power plant installed in the country since 2014 … This capac- ity expansion will provide additional royalties and taxes to the national and host local governments,” MGI President Francisco Delfin, Jr. said.

Maibarara-2 is MGI’s fourth power facility and began construction in March 2016. The first plant, generating 20 MW, came online in February 2014. Two others— the 36 MW Nabas- 1 wind farm and the 50 MW Tarlac- 1 solar facility, became fully operational in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

“This second wave of investment, that will also see the expansion of our Nabas and Tarlac facilities and new greenfield projects, have to be even more deliberate considering the challenges in securing new offtake contracts and more importantly the uncertainty in some government energy policies and direction,” PetroGreen President Milagros Reyes said.

MGI secured the go- signal of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market for its Maibarara- 2 plant in December last year after it successfully installed and tested with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines the Remote Terminal Unit and the supervisory control and data acquisition system of the said plant on November 15.