Maibarara-2 geothermal plant nears commercial operations

Maibarara-2 geothermal plant nears commercial operations

The 12 megawatt (MW) Maibarara-2 geothermal power plant nears it commercial operations after securing spot market and grid operations requirements.

The Maibarara Geothermal Inc. (MGI) said that it has secured its registration approval from the Philippine Electricity (PEMC) for its power plant as a Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) participating generation facitlity.

“The WESM registration of Maibarara-2 clears the way for the facility to export power to the grid during the commissioning stage. The testing and commissioning of Maibarara-2 is estimated to start by middle of December. Export of power to the grid is expected soon after commissioning starts,” PetroGreen Energy Corp. (PGEC) energy trading head Dave Gadiano said.

The company also installed and tested with the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and SCADA System of the project.

“The completion of these two critical WESM and grid connection requirements is a significant milestone for MGI as these are technical prerequisites for eventual commercial operations.” MGI president Francisco Delfin Jr. said.

The MGI geothermal facility is the expansion of the 20-MW Maibarara geothermal venture and is the only active geothermal project being constructed in the country.

MGI is a joint venture of PGEC, PHINMA Energy Corp, and PNOC Renewables.