Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (SMPC) is aiming to re-energize its 700-megawatt (MW) Saint Raphael power project in Batangas, with an estimated investment of USD 1.4 billion.
In a report by Manila Bulletin, this move positioned SMPC as the third player in the country with plans to revive its coal power plant project, following Aboitiz Power Corporation’s Therma Visayas expansion and MERALCO PowerGen’s 1,200 MW Atimonan project in Quezon.
These projects have been exempted from the coal moratorium enforced by the Department of Energy (DOE) in 2020, as they were already in advanced stages of planning before the policy took effect.
SMPC President and Chief Operating Officer Maria Cristina C. Gotianun said that the project’s approval hinges on the completion of a transmission facility expansion in the southern Luzon grid.
She highlighted that without grid reinforcement, the power generated from the Saint Raphael project would be unable to reach Luzon, limiting its contribution to the region’s power supply.
Gotianun also noted that the Batangas transmission corridor upgrades have been approved by the DOE and are part of the Transmission Development Plan (TDP), though the company must wait for its completion.
She stressed that the current transmission lines are overloaded, leading to occasional plant trips, further necessitating the need for another line.
Meanwhile, SMPC Chairman and CEO Isidro A. Consunji explained that the company temporarily put the Saint Raphael project on hold in 2019 due to the Supreme Court’s ruling on competitive selection processes for power supply agreements (PSAs).
