GBP keen on expanding Toledo plant’s capacity

Global Business Power is keen on expanding the capacity of its coalfired power plant in Toledo City, Cebu.

Philip Dasalla, commercial operations and strategy head, said yesterday at the Power 101 forum in Cebu City the company could pursue this if "there's a market" or takers.

Toledo Power Co., the company's whollyowned subsidiary, currently operates an 82-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Toledo, the TPC 1A.

TPC 1B will then be its expanded facility if the plan is pursued, he said.

Currently, the company is the biggest power producer in Cebu in terms of capacity at 428 MW.

He said its biggest client is Visayan Electric Co., which distributes power in Metro Cebu areas.

The 82-MW TPC 1A currently powers the operations of Atlas Mining subsidiary Carmen Copper Corp. and power needs of Cebu Electric Cooperative (Cebeco 3).

In Cebu, Toledo Power has a total generating capacity of 182 MW while Cebu Energy Development Corp., another subsidiary, has 246

MW. CEDC's plants are also located in Toledo City.

Up to 56% of GBP was acquired by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. in mid2016, through affiliate Beacon PowerGen Holdings Inc.

JG Summit Holdings Inc. holds 30% of GBP, while Meralco PowerGen Corp. owns 14%.

The company is one of the leading independent power generators in the Visayas region with facilities in Cebu, Iloilo, Aklan and Oriental Mindoro.