Toshiba tapped by Sem-Calaca Power for thermal plant’s asset management
To extend the life of its power plant operations as well as enhance its generation efficiency, Sem-Calaca Power Corporation (SCPC) of DMCI Holdings of the Consunji group had tapped Japanese firm Toshiba Corporation on the deployment of total asset management solutions for its electricity generating facility in Batangas.
In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the parties, it was stipulated that “solutions deployment” shall cover plant optimization; predictive monitoring with Internet of things (IOT) solutions; and extending the life of the Sem-Calaca thermal power plant.
Essentially, this will be done under the genre of the growing digitization of electricity systems – which will not only make power plant generation capability more efficient and reliable but will also enable cost savings to operators and owners.
With IoT application, it was emphasized that emerging problems in the plant’s equipment could be easily detected – and in turn, this could redound to longer operating life for the asset. Sem-Calaca’s solutions’ deployment deal with Toshiba also provides for staff train- ing “to enhance (their) operation and management capabilities,” including on the spheres of repair and maintenance.
Sem-Calaca operates the 900-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Batangas. The plant’s capacity had already been expanded by 300 megawatts; from the DMCI’s original acquisition of the asset from government at just 600MW capacity then.
Toshiba had been the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the Calaca plant when it was built by state-run National Power Corporation in 1984. And throughout the asset’s operations, the Japanese company had similarly been providing technical support to the plant. Takao Konishi, vice president of the Thermal & Hydro Power Systems and Services Division of Toshiba’s Energy Systems & Solutions Company, has asserted that they will be “applying cutting edge technology, including IoT technology, to the plant’s operation and maintenance.”
In view of this strategic partnership with the Consunji group, he noted that the Japanese firm hopes “to contribute to power supply stability in the Philippines and to enhance customer satisfaction.”
By far, DMCI Holdings President and Chief Executive Officer Isidro Consunji emphasized that their company had been “satisfied with the technical support services that Toshiba supplies.”
With this fresh batch of solutions provision, the DMCI chief executive intimated they are keeping eye on the goal of “life-cycle cost savings for Calaca by reducing unexpected outage, and to achieve optimized, comprehensive and efficient O&M (operation and maintenance) management through the partnership envisaged by the MOU.”