Power generated by making effective use of brine in arid areas

A 29-MEGAWATT (MW) binary cycle power generation equipment is to be installed at a geothermal power plant operated in Palayan, in the south- eastern sector of Luzon Island in the Philippines, by Energy Development Corporation (EDC), a local company which boasts of being the world’s largest vertically integrated geothermal company.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Italy) and Mitsubishi Power, Ltd are the joint providers for the order through which Turboden – an Italian firm and reported global leader in the design, manufacture and maintenance of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) systems – will provide the complete power generation system, and Mitsubishi Power will provide support through its local resources.

Turboden’s expertise will add new binary cycle geothermal power equipment, whose key component is the company’s proprietary 29MW ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) system, to the existing 120MW flash type geothermal power plant owned and operated by Bac-Man Geothermal Inc. (BGI), an EDC power subsidiary. The key component of Turboden’s binary cycle power generation equipment is an ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) turbine that uses low-boiling-point organic matter (fluorocarbon, hydrocarbon, etc.) as the boiling medium. The generation system can use relatively low-temperature heat sources such as biomass, factory waste heat and geothermal energy. This equipment can generate up to 40MW of power and can be easily installed outside fuel-producing regions or at inland, desert or island locations lacking water resources. Power can be generated stably, without interference from weather factors

The new system for Palayan will generate power making effective use of brine, which until now has merely been returned to a reinjection well. By replacing power in the power grid now derived from fossil fuels, etc., the new installation will enable reduction of CO2 emissions derived from steam power. The 29MW binary cycle power generation configuration is expected to trim CO2 emissions by approximately 72,200 tons per year (equivalent to some 20,000 hectares of forest).

Demand for electric power is expanding in the Philippines in tandem with GDP growth, and proactive measures are underway to introduce renewable energies. Thanks to its numerous volcanic islands, the Philippines ranks fourth worldwide in volume of geothermal resources, after the United States, Indonesia and Japan. The country also ranks third, after the United States and Indonesia, in geothermal power generation capacity. In terms of equipment capacity (development ratio) as a proportion of resource volume, the Philippines ranks highest worldwide, and the country is an aggressive developer of geothermal power in the global context also. With the new binary cycle geothermal power generation to derive from the introduction of ORC technology under this project, additional excavation is unnecessary. As the brine from the existing geothermal power system can be used to generate power, introducing ORC technology into geothermal power plants, including the many facilities already developed in the Philippines, means that brine previously discharged can be used as an effective heat source, enabling its use as a readily available carbon neutral power source. Going forward, MHI, as a global corporation pursuing the provision of a broad spectrum of high- efficiency power generation and energy systems, will work closely with Turboden to contribute through expanding adoption of binary cycle power generation equipment to a sustainable energy mix on a global scale.