The Department of Energy (DOE) is expecting two geothermal power plants to be fully functional by the end of the year.
In a report by the Manila Standard, DOE said the two projects are the Palayan binary power plant and the Tiwi binary project offering 29 megawatts (MW) and 17 MW, respectively.
The Tiwi binary geothermal project in Tiwi, Albay, operated by AP Renewables Inc. (APRI), a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, and the Palayan binary project in Manito, Albay, managed by Bacman Geothermal Inc. (BGI) under the ownership of the Energy Development Corporation, are both expected to reach completion by December.
The energy department further explained that the Palayan project would conduct testing and commissioning of connection assets once the equipment is fully installed.
Meanwhile, the Tiwi binary project will now conduct its testing and commissioning this month to secure its grid capability and compliance tests.
In addition, DOE Undersecretary Rowena Guevara stated that in order to secure the country’s energy needs, the department is working on creating 145 additional geothermal locations nationwide.
Currently, the department is awaiting the completion of the 5.6 MW Bago Binary geothermal power plant and the 20 MW Tanawon geothermal power plant, seen to be operational by 2024. These projects, presently undergoing pre-feasibility studies, have the potential to add a total of 381 MW of extra capacity.
As of 2022, geothermal and hydro renewable energy sources maintained their dominance in the country’s renewable energy mix, with geothermal contributing 9.3% and hydro to 9% of the gross power generation.
