PSALM holds pre-bid confab for Bataan thermal plant

The Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (PSALM) will hold a pre-bidding conference this week in preparation for the public auction of another decommissioned plant, the Bataan Thermal Power Plant (BTPP).

The public bidding for the equipment and components of the BTPP is scheduled on April 28, while the pre-bid conference will be held on March 31.

PSALM said interested bidders may also conduct due diligence audit of the equipment and components from March 22 to April 22.

Apart from the equipment and components, PSALM will also be selling the auxiliaries and accessories of the mothballed power plant located in the town of Limay in Bataan.

It said prospective bidders will be required to execute a confidentiality agreement and an undertaking with PSALM, and to pay a non-refundable participation fee of $500.

The BTPP consists of two units: Unit 1, which has a capacity of 75 megawatts (MW) was built in 1972 while Unit 2, which has a capacity of 150 MW, was completed in 1977. The National Power Corp. (Napocor) retired Unit 2 in February 1999 and Unit 1 in January 2000, and has since placed the plant under asset preservation.

Since March 2004, PSALM had successfully sold six Napocor power plants, namely: the 3.5-MW Talomo plant in Davao City; the 1.6-MW Agusan mini-hydro in Bukidnon; the 1.8-MW Barit hydroelectric plant in Camarines Sur; the 0.4-MW Cawayan hydro in Sorsogon City; the 1.2-MW Loboc plant in Bohol, and the 600-MW Masinloc power plant in Zambales.

This year, PSALM said it will prioritize the disposition of Napocor’s decommissioned plants in an apparent bid to take advantage of the strong market for scrap metal in China and other Asian countries.